Completion
by PrInCeSsJeNn
Summary: XO with Roswell - Will the Big Apple be what the Valenti family needs to heal their wounds and start anew? Can the NY Crime Lab handle the brood? Or will the secrets that they hold threaten to destroy their new lives?
1. Meet the Valentis

Title: Completion

Author: Jenn (email )

Rating: M to be safe

Category: Romance/Drama/Crossover .... Crossover with CSI: NY and both Stargate series' (Don't knock it till ya read it)

Couples: Danny/Liz, Don/Ava, Lindsay/Brae, Mac/Nateri, Stella/Ashley, Sam/Zan.....possibly others to follow.....

Disclaimer: Me no own....all characters and shows belong to their respective owners.....I am merely borrowing them and promise to put them back when I'm done.....Carissa, Jeff, Braeden, Ashley, Mariella, Jaime, Nathan, Nateri, Aurora, and C.J. Valenti are all my creations.....

Summary: Will the Big Apple be what the Valenti family needs to heal their wounds and start anew? Can the NY Crime Lab handle the brood? Or will the secrets that they hold threaten to destroy their new lives?

Author's Note: I honestly have no freggin clue where I got the idea for this one from...I'm still working on _Surprise!!!_ and _Changes_ but the muses demanded that I write this one as well. First off let me say that I am not following almost any of the events that transpired on _Roswell_. I have to clue you in to a few things before we begin.

-Like my fic _Surprise!!!!_, Liz's father was Jacob Carter therefor making her Samantha Carter's little sister.

-Just as with the last one, the Antarians only have two eye colors in varying shades: blue and green...it'll be explained as to why later on in the fic.

-I've twisted things to suit my needs and how I would've like to see things on Stargate: SG-1. That being said, Samantha Carter, in my vision of SGC land, is (and has been for a long time) married to Cameron Mitchell. Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c's relationships will be elaborated on so don't worry your pretty little heads off about it ;)

-Unlike _Surprise!!!!_, Liz's mother and step-father died when she was only five. She was raised by Jim and Amy Valenti.

-In this fic, just as in _Surprise!!!!_, Liz is John Sheppard's younger cousin. Liz's mother and John's father were brother and sister. But again, unlike that fic, they're related to another 'famous' Shepherd (notice it's spelled differently - all will be explained at some point). So look out for some cameos later on.

-As much as I am a huge shipper of Danny & Lindsay on CSI: NY, the muses just begged that this fic be written. So for the purposes of this fic, Danny and Lindsay never repaired things after the whole Rikki fiasco.

-I am a big Polarist but I must warn you that I am not kind to Michael in this fic. I promise that it is solely for the purposes of this story. No actual harm came to Michael Guerin while I was writing it...

-Notes in _italics_ are the character's personal thoughts; notes in _italics_ surrounded by ' and ' are thoughts shared from one character to another....this story is written in first person omniscient and point of view will bounce back and forth between characters...

-Just so that you have a better picture of the OCs: Ashley Valenti closely resembles Tahmoh Penniket (Battlestar Galactica), Braeden Valenti is based off of Robert Buckley (Lipstick Jungle), Jeffrey Parker-Valenti looks like Matt Dallas (Kyle XY), Carissa Lorne is a tweaked version of Shiri Appleby, Nateri Valenti looks like Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic), Aurora O'Neill looks like Amy Adams (Enchanted), Giavanna Valenti is based off of Kaley Kuoco (Charmed).

On with the show.....

--------

Chapter One: Meet the Valentis (Well some of them at least..)

New York City: Present Day

Elizabeth Carter-Valenti laughed hysterically at her daughter's antics. For only three years old, little Mariella Genevieve Valenti was well spoken, out going, and extremely open minded. She was also quite the little scene stealer. Every minute spent with her was nothing but a complete joy since the day she'd been brought into this world. There was not one person that had met her, that didn't instantly fall in love.

She was silently thanking her brother Ashley for having the idea to put a playground up here. The kids loved it. Hell, she loved it. The view from up here was breathtaking. Her big brother was so smart at times...

Mariella clamored up onto the swing and screeched happily. "Mama, push me fast."

She smiled widely and complied with her daughter's wishes. "Is that good baby?"

The little brunette imp shook her head. "No Mama! Higher!," she commanded. "Higher and super fast!" She batted her baby blues in her mother's direction.

"Okay baby." She pushed Ella a few more times before she felt a tap on her shoulder. Behind her stood her son, James Kyle Valenti III, named after his grandfather and great grandfather. He grinned ear to ear as he indicated that he wanted to push Ella.

Jaime stood next to his mother with a smirk that rivaled his father's on his face. He wanted to surprise Mariella. Baseball practice had been canceled so he came home from school early. The disappointment on her little face this morning almost broke his heart. She wanted to play with him when he got home but he couldn't. He wasn't supposed to be home until after seven that night. He'd made the JV team at school. A fact that had made his mother, aunts and uncles insanely proud. But, it also meant that time spent with his baby sister was severely limited these days. It was the only downside to the whole thing. He adored Mariella in all of her crazy little glory. Truth be told, he'd loved her since the day he'd figured out his Mom was having her. In spite of their age gap, his sister was his partner in crime.

Liz stepped aside knowing full well that once her son made his presence known to his little sister, Ella wouldn't want her Mama to push her. No, Ella would want her Jaime to do it.

As soon as she came back towards him, Jaime stuck out his hands to tickle his little sister through her jacket. Realizing who was behind her, Ella squealed happily. "My Jaime! My Jaime!"

Liz sat back and lit up a cigarette. _One of these days I will quit this shit._ As she took a drag, she was more than content to sit back and observe her children. Despite an eight year age difference, Jaime and Mariella were as attached as could be. They were each other's sidekicks. From the moment Liz learned she was pregnant, Jaime had been protective of his baby sister. When she'd had her, Jaime was instantly enamored. He never resisted the urge to help with her when she was a baby. Jaime and Mariella loved each other with every fiber of their being.

Liz had really lucked out when it came to them. She'd been fearful of how their relationship would play out. Which, in all reality was stupid like Ashley had said. She worried because they were only half siblings and there was an eight year gap between them, that they'd never get along properly.

To which, Ashley called her a kook and pointed out the difference in ages of the kids in their own family. They got along just fine. At thirty-eight, Ashley Valenti was the oldest kid in the Valenti brood. He was followed by Braeden who was thirty-four. Then came Kyle who was twenty-nine. Herself, Tess, Ava, and Maria fell in the middle at twenty-six. They were followed by Carissa at twenty-three. Then came Jeff at twenty-two. Gia came in next at almost nineteen. Jaden rounded the brood out at ten years old. But he wasn't the last Valenti by a long shot. Nope, little McKenna would join the world in another two months.

Besides the huge age span of their siblings, Brae brought up the fact that shared DNA meant nothing to the Valentis. They were the very definition of a blended family. There were three sets of kids really. Ashley, Braeden, Ava and Tess were biological brothers and sisters. As were Liz, Carissa and Jeff. Kyle, Maria, Gia, Jaden and McKenna shared the same parentage as well.

None of that had ever made a difference in their family either. Regardless of blood or heritage, the Valentis were the epitome of a tight knit family. To their credit, Jim and Amy Valenti had managed to raise well adjusted and intelligent children.

Michael was the exception....but he was a whole other story. One that wouldn't be gone into again. With a pang, she shoved thoughts of her children's father aside as she watched them play together.

Thinking about it, Liz really had it all. Great job. Loving family. Beautiful children. Gorgeous home in the greatest city in the world.

Yeah, life was pretty good these days.

She was just missing one thing: love.

Sure, she had her parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and children; but sometimes, that just wasn't enough. Or maybe it just wasn't what she needed. There was no one to hold her in the middle of the night; no one to take her out for a night on the town; and no one to complete her soul. Even being surrounded by her obnoxiously huge family, she still felt pretty lonely. Her lips whispered a silent prayer to the Gods to take the pain away...

--

Danny Messer was in his own little world as he climbed the stairs to the roof. His head was elsewhere as he pondered a lot of stuff. Mostly, it was what had been going on lately in the news. Yes, despite what most thought, he Daniel Messer did pay attention to the goings on in the world outside the Crime Lab. And not just when he was working a case.

The media was buzzing about the fact that NYC had become home to the fastest rising Fortune 500 company: Valenti Industries. Not much was known about the young corporation beyond the fact that it was run by a family. Or at least that's what the rumor was.

Out of nowhere, six months ago, the company had announced that they were relocating their World Headquarters from Colorado to New York City. From there, it had become nothing short of a media circus. Information on the young, billion dollar company was hard to find. And fact was, not one negative thing could be said about the company or its practices.

It was just the opposite. From the beginning, Valenti Industries made it clear that they were different from everyone else by taking some surprising (and what were almost considered risky) steps. But the gamble was slowly paying off. It seemed, that they were hell bent on doing their part to help dig the economy out of recession.

V.I. had purchased many apartment buildings throughout the five boroughs, most half empty or extremely run down. Anyone who happened to occupy one of those buildings had feared being forced to leave their homes; or worse: already absurd rents skyrocketing further. Boy were they wrong. The buildings in question soon received much needed renovations much to the surprise and at no expense of their tenants. But, what really shocked everyone, was the fact that their rents were actually _lowered_ not raised. A press release from the company claimed that with the state of the economy, they hoped that lowering the rents of their tenants would ease their 'financial strains' even if only a little bit.

Danny, luckily, had been one of those people. Along with his entire building, his rent went down two hundred and seventy five bucks a month. While it was nice, it wasn't really a big thing for him personally. He'd been smart with his money over the years and did his best not to live beyond his means. But to people like his neighbor Emma Banes in 11G, it made a world of difference. The struggling single mother of two was now able to actually afford more than just a few groceries here or there. That made whoever was behind Valenti Industries pretty okay in his book.

The next order of business for the company, was to purchase literally a block of run-down factories on the outskirts of the city. They were subsequently demolished only to be replaced by a huge, eco-friendly plant as well as adjoining business offices. In mere months, Valenti Industries had created nearly twelve thousand jobs.

Not only that, but the newly hired employees were also offered discounted rent, if they wanted to move into any one of the dozens of high rise apartment buildings that the company now owned.

What more could the city need than a company with billions and very important government contracts to set up shop in its midst, to help with the economy? It seemed, that they were single handedly trying to save the city. To some, it looked like it might just work.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to know that story of the Valenti family. Little was known about the clan behind one of America's most lucrative companies. It was rumored that not one of the Valentis were older than forty. No one in the company would speak to any media outlet concerning their bosses. Apparently, the family had chosen wisely when it came to forming their inner circle.

But Danny knew that at least some of the clan had taken up residence on the top floor of his building. Lots of hush, hush construction went on up there for the last four months. And if what Mrs. Connolly in 11B said was right, they had moved in already. She claimed to have seen three adults and three kids up on the roof the other day, that, in all her years in the building, she hadn't seen before. And she couldn't stop gushing about the way the roof had been transformed. She advised him to go check it out. Said something about the renovations up there being nothing short of spectacular.

So here he was, on his way to the roof to see what the melee was about. When he opened the door, what he found was a park thirteen stories about the ground. There was a brand spanking new, industrial playground to the left. On the right were a series of trees, park benches, picnic tables, a basketball court and many other things you might find in park. It was very clear that massive renovations had taken place in order for this to happen. It was amazing. This was a hell of a lot better than the run down garden Mrs. Fuzie had maintained up here. If he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, Danny would have never believed it.

His musings were cut off by the sound of giggles. There was a little girl, about three he guessed, on a swing being pushed by who he guessed was her mother. The two of them were a striking pair. Identical, right down to their eyes. Eyes so blue, he could see them from fifty feet away. Both had matching smiles on their faces.

The mother was beyond any woman he'd ever seen before. Her beautiful smile nearly knocked all the air from his lings. He was hypnotized. She had long dark hair that was streaked with blond and crimson highlights. She was beautiful as all hell. The kind of beautiful that turned his brain to mush.

Out of nowhere, he noticed a boy, about ten or eleven, standing next to the woman. She kissed his cheek and let him take over pushing the little girl.

He didn't recognize any of them. But that didn't mean much of anything. Working in the Crime Lab meant that he didn't always keep sociable hours.

But damn if he didn't wanna know who they were now. Especially the mother. He contemplated taking a seat beside her an striking up a conversation.

That idea was blown out the window as a guy around his age came from the basketball court across the yard and sat next to her on the bench. She leaned into him as he kissed her forehead. He must have been playing basketball with two other guys and a girl. He watched as the three joined the pair.

Now Danny Messer had a mouth and guts but he wasn't about to approach the now laughing group. He didn't know why, but for the first time in his life, he was intimidated. There was something about them that kept him from walking over there. He didn't know exactly what it was. But, his feet felt like lead at the moment. And the one guy still had his arm around Miss Beautiful. A fact which led him to believe that she was taken.

He'd learn the following day, that his observational skills weren't as astute as he once thought.

----

Later that night:

Beginning of the graveyard shift:

Don Flack was sitting at his desk when the Captain came strolling up with a short blond.

"Flack, meet your new partner, Flannery. Flannery meet Flack." Once he finished the curt introduction, he promptly walked away.

Don smirked at the woman who had taken a seat across from. She had blonde hair that had crimson and copper streaked through it. And the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen. Bluer than the oceans you see in those travel commercials. Good God, was he in trouble. She was beautiful, but not in a conventional way. Especially considering the tattoos that could clearly be seen. He noted the retainer that she had in her nose and her tongue. _The Colorado Springs P.D. allowed that? _She was a contrast, tattoos, piercings wrapped in designer clothes. Clothes which seem to fit her like a second skin. His warm smile betrayed the dangerous thoughts floating around his head at the sight of his new partner. _I'm gonna die. God, if this' a test, I can tell ya right now that I'm gonna fail miserably._ "He really is a nice guy once you get to know him." He stuck his hand out. "Don Flack."

Ava smiled in return as she shook his hand. By coincidence, her thoughts were a mirror of his. She knew she was in trouble. Big, huge, colossal trouble. The man in front of her was gorgeous with a capital G. One of the most beautiful men she had ever laid eyes on really. His smile and to die for baby blues did nothing but stir up butterflies in her stomach. _Keep it professional Aves._ "Nice ta meet ya, Ava Flannery. So how's it ya got stuck wit me?"

The bluntness of her question threw him off for a brief moment. None the less, he simply smirked at her and replied. "My partna got pregnant." _An tha Powers That Be thought'd be funny ta mess with my head._

Ava nodded. _So tha Gods thought it'd be funny ta pair me up with this man. Don't I have enough on my plate already? But Goddess Bless he's damn beautiful._

Don caught the wistful look that had shone in her cerulean eyes for a brief second and went with it. "Got kids?"

She nodded again. "One," she said as she pulled out her Sidekick and flipped through the pictures. Finding the one she was looking for, she handed him the phone.

Smiling back at him was a cute as hell, little curly red haired, blue eyed toddler. Except for her hair, she was a spitting image of her mother. Gorgeous, just like her mother. _Don't go there Don._

"That's Isla," she told him. "She just turned two last week."

"She's beautiful," he told her.

Ava smirked. "Thanks. I'll tell ya though, she's a handful fa all that beauty. From day one, that little girl figured out real quick how ta wrap everyone round her fingers," she said as she closed her phone and put it back in her jacket. "So since ya asked, ya got any kids?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. Not even seein anyone," he replied with a laugh. _Why did ya have ta tell her that? What was tha need?_ It was then he noticed the ring she was twirling on her finger. _Figures, she's taken._ "Married?"

Don almost instantly regretted the question as her eyes clouded over.

She smiled sadly. "Widowed. My husband was a Lieutenant Colonel in tha Air Force. Connor died in a training accident before Isla was born." _It's not a lie, right?_ Conner had in fact died in a training exercise.

But said training exercise had actually taken place in another galaxy. Just above Atlantis to be exact. They were testing X-305s. A newer hybrid version of the 302s. The maneuvering systems shut down on Conner's and subsequently caused a collision. Both Conner and Captain Rente had lost their lives that day. It was later discovered that they were victims of faulty wiring. She knew as soon as she saw Jack and Colonel Flynn at her door. To have her husband's CO _and_ his CO come to the house could only mean one thing.

"I'm sorry." Don felt like a heel now _Good job jackass._.

She observed him as she replied. _He looks like he kicked my puppy. _"Don't be. 'S what it is. 'S much as I miss Conner, I'ma firm believer in things happenin for a reason. I made peace with his death a long time ago."

That wasn't a lie either. Conner died doing one of the things that he loved the most: serving his country. Yes, there were days that she missed him like hell and wished that he could see their baby girl growing up. But, on the whole, she'd made her peace the day that a little squirming bundle of pink was placed into her arms. The way she saw it, she had his child; the best part of him. Through Isla, a piece of Conner would always exist.

Like her mother and grandmother, Ava was very religious and held a firm belief that everyone was brought into or taken out of a person's life for a reason. Events that took place in one's life, happened for a reason. And while the reason might not always be clear, the people upstairs knew what they were doing. Losing her husband had been no exception. That wasn't to say that the pain of losing him didn't still burn at times. Before Isla, Conner Daniel Flannery had been her world.

One of the greatest lessons he taught her was to always appreciate the little things. Some days, it wasn't that the glass was half empty or half full. It was more like being thankful for the fact that the glass was there to begin with. Every single new day was a blessing. One that should never be taken for granted because tomorrow was never guaranteed.

The thing about him that had really made her fall in love was his accepting nature. He had always been extremely open minded. Unlike some of the staff of the SGC, he had never treated her any different because of her background. The only reason he had ever treated her different was because he'd had a thing for her.

They'd met at the annual SGC Christmas Bash at Jack and Aurora's house, only days after her eighteenth birthday. At the time, he was thirty-five. Her parents and family were a bit worried at first but in the end, were very supportive. After all, her father was fifteen years older than her mother. Jack was twenty two years Aurora's senior. Daniel was eleven years older than Lonnie. The list could go on. Fact of the matter was that love knows no age.

He had no family. No siblings. Both of his parents had been killed in a car accident nearly twenty years prior. So her family took to him very quickly, much to his shock and awe. Connor was accepted into the fold as one of their own, no questions asked.

Their whirlwind romance culminated in marriage just six months to the day after they'd met. She couldn't have been happier. She had the love of an amazing man.

Her revelry was cut short as Don's phone rang. He said maybe three words before snapping it shut.

"We got three DBs a few blocks away. Ya ready for ya first taste a New York?"

_Oh apparently the good Detective Flack wasn't payin much attention. _She smirked as she threw on her jacket. "Hate ta break it to ya Donnie boy, but it ain' mah first taste. I lived in Staten Island when I was a kid."

He laughed in response. Until she said anything, he failed to recognize that she, like him possessed a distinctly New York accent.

Score was Ava one, Don zip.

--

So it turned out that the boyfriend had gone psycho and killed not only his girlfriend, but her sister and brother-in-law. All because the girlfriend had wanted to move out to Long Island to start a family.

They put out an APB for the suspect. Ava spotted him down the block from the building where the murders took place.

It took Don a second to figure out where the hell she was running to. But as soon as he'd heard her yell "c'mere ya stupid son of a bitch," he knew she'd spotted him. He was about to get a firsthand demonstration of just how good Detective Ava Flannery really was.

She chased the guy for nearly four city blocks before knocking him clear on his ass and cuffing him. And not one hair on her beautiful head was out of place. She nearly had Don rolling when she smacked Casale upside the head for almost breaking one of her nails. The woman had a lot of fire in her, that was for sure.

As if catching him wasn't enough, she'd made him talk.

Back at the station, he didn't know what the hell it was that she had whispered in Casale's ear. But it had him singing like a choir boy at Sunday Mass. Whatever it was, caused Damon Casale's eyes to cross briefly and then he began spitting his story out like nobody's business. Case closed.

Ava was impressing him. And he wasn't easily impressed. At twenty-six, he had her pegged as a fresh faced rookie. Sure, he knew she'd been on the force for eight years. But he wasn't sure how much experience she could have had under her belt coming from the Colorado Springs P.D.

But the Captain had said that she came with glowing recommendations from her superiors back in Colorado. He had also casually mentioned that she already had three commendations under her belt. That and her close rate was nearly ninety percent. On top of it all, she had two Master's: Psychology and Criminal Justice. Her resume was damn impressive.

So she was skilled, hot _and_ smart.

Yeah, he was beyond screwed.

He was firmly convinced that Ava Flannery was gonna send him to an early grave.

And she didn't even know it yet.

--

Three Hours Later:

Being that everything was wrapped up and they only had two hours left of their shifts, they decided to grab breakfast. Well Don had complained about starving and Ava, with a smile, told him she had just the thing: breakfast at her house. She told him that by now, her friend was up and making breakfast. One more at the table wouldn't be any big thing.

As Ava pulled her Tahoe into the parking garage for her building, she noted the shock on her partner's face. "What," she asked as she quirked her eyebrow.

He smirked at her. "You live in my best friend's buildin. I wasn' expectin' that."

She laughed. "'S a small world. What can I say?"

They got out of the car and headed towards the elevators.

Don was flabbergasted when she hit the button for the 12th floor. "You live on tha top floor?"

Even though he was behind her, Ava could feel his penetrating stare and his shock. "Go on an' say it Don. I know ya want ta." She took a deep breath to prepare herself. It was inevitable.

"Ya a Valenti." It was more of a statement than a question. Don never would have guessed. She gave no indication that she was in any way connected to one of America's richest families; the new _it_ family of New York.

Ava nodded as she glanced at him briefly. "Yeah. I'm one of tha golden children," she said as she made quotation fingers in the air. "My oldest brotha Ashley started Valenti Industries six years ago. The company's run by him an his best friend Zan." She hung her head down. It wasn't hard to figure out what was coming next.

"What?" He noted that her stance seemed as if she was sad.

She turned to face him, hurt in her eyes. "I know what ya thinkin Flack."

His look was almost challenging. "How would ya know what I'm thinkin?" _Ya might've hit me already if ya knew what I was really thinkin._

"Cause everyone always thinks tha same thing. I got where I'm at cause I'm connected. Cause I'ma Valenti. When I first started at the CSPD, everyone thought that my Dad had somethin ta do with it. That bein tha daughter of _Commissioner _Valenti, opened doors that wouldn't normally open. Then when tha company took off tha ground, it was because I'm Ashley Valenti's lil sista."

"I might a believed that if I had known before I met ya, " he told her sincerely. "But after watchin ya today with Casale, it's pretty obvious that ya got here on your own accord."

She turned to face him with a wide smile that made his stomach flutter.

His blue eyes held such an honesty in their depths. They were dangerous. She could easily get lost in them. Working with him was most certainly going to be an exercise in willpower. "Thanks. Most people don't look at it that way. That's why we asked the Chief an tha Captain to keep my family hush, hush. I don't need that shit an neitha do they."

"I can understand that. For the first few years I was on the force, I was always in my Pop's shadow. 'S like they expected me to be jus like him. So if it makes ya feel any better, I feel ya pain in a way."

"Try bein tha kid of tha Sheriff. Wait no I got one betta. Try bein tha kid of tha _Police Commissioner_. 'S like people always expected us ta be perfect. Then when my brotha Kyle became tha Sheriff of Roswell, it only got worse. So now that we hea, only my brotha was brave enough ta use our last name. My sista is goin by her birth name. Both Lizzie an Brae start work at tha Crime Lab later this mornin."

Suddenly, the pieces all fell into place. Danny had mentioned that Mac had said both his and Lindsay's new partners were starting some time this week. His best friend had been griping about it for the last week or so.

Danny and Lindsay had agreed to stay friends after their break-up; but agreed it might be best if they didn't stay partners. They didn't want that awkwardness there. So, as a result, they had asked Mac to do some thing about it. Mac, at that point, said he'd look into it. In all reality, he felt that given a few weeks, they'd get over things. But last week, he told them that their new partners were transfers from the Colorado Springs Crime Lab. Danny's partner was young. He knew that much. So Messer had been muttering since then about having to break in another country rookie. He wasn't happy at all. Lindsay, on the other hand, was looking forward to a fresh face.

"Your sista an brotha are both of my best friends' new partners," he said with a chuckle.

"Well ain't that a coinky-dink. World just keeps gettin smalla an smalla." she declared with a smirk. "Ya said one of em lives hea right?"

Don nodded, still smirking. "Yeah Danny Messer."

She clicked her tongue with a sly smile. Lizzie wasn't gonna like it, she knew that. Zan, Brae, Ash and the kids wouldn't mind. Lizzie might freak. But being sociable wasn't gonna kill her. "If he's home, why don't ya get his ass up hea. I'm sure Lizzie girl would like ta meet him." _I know I would. If nothin else for shits an giggles._

Don quickly sent Danny a text. _Yo D. Wake up & get ur ass upstairs._

Danny replied within seconds. Apparently he was up. _Wat the hell?_

_Seems my new partner & urs r sisters. Ava n Liz live upstairs frm u. Ava said get ur ass up here._

_They live on the 12__th__ floor? That means...._

_Yea D. Don't get ur panties in a twist jus get ur ass up here._

_K gimme 5._

Don turned to Ava. "He'll be up in five. Which in Messer land is more like ten."

"Sounds like Zan." She chuckled as she placed her hand on the palm scanner next to the door.

After her hand was scanned, a voice said, "Access granted. Welcome home Avaria."

"Thanks Jai," she said as the door clicked open, admitting them to the apartment.

Don looked puzzled.

Her eyes flashed amusement in return. "Biometric locks. Easier than keys. An more secure."

He nodded, knowing he should expect stuff like that in the home of one of the richest families in the nation.

"Least I know I'll neva get locked out."

Don smirked. She was interesting to say the least. _Don't forget cute. Wait a minute, cute? What tha fuck's wrong with me?_

"Tha company manufactures em. Ash went top a tha line fa everythin in this place."

No sooner was Ava in the door, then was she pummeled her daughter screeching, "Mama, Mama!"

Don laughed out loud as his partner fell on her butt. The little girl was clearly excited to see her mother. He watched in awe as Ava stood up with her pajama clad daughter and faced him.

She smoothed her daughter's hair out of her little face as she spoke. "La, this' Mama's new partna, Don. Don, this' my baby girl Isla."

Isla laid her head on her mother's shoulder as she waved shyly and mumbled, "Hi."

Don smiled widely. "Hi Isla." He noted mentally how mother and daughter made a striking pair when together. Beautiful. The kind of beautiful that could steal someone's breath away. _Don't go there Don._ Isla was just as gorgeous as her mother. The only difference between the pair was their hair color.

His musings were cut off as he noticed two guys stand up from the couches in the middle of the apartment. He guessed they were two of Ava's brothers. She had said she had quite a few siblings.

It's funny how some genes don't carry throughout a family.

Whereas Ava was maybe 5'2, Her brothers were taller than him. Don figured them to be about 6'3 and 6'4 maybe even 6'5.

"Bout time you got home Sprite," the blue eyed brother told her as he kissed her forehead. Her other brother did the same as he mumbled something in her ear. She giggled and slapped his chest. "Mind ya manners boys. This' mah new partna Don Flack. Don, these two knuckleheads are mah olda brothers Ashley an Braeden Valenti."

"Nice ta meet ya," Don said as he shook hands with both of them.

Both brothers had similar features: dirty blonde hair and light eyes. Like Ava, Ashley's were blue but his were a deeper shade than that of his sister. Unlike his siblings, Braeden's were a pale jade. Both men had hair that was spiked up like Danny's. And they were both very well built, no doubt the result of many hours spent in the gym. Intimidating to say the least. Well at least to civilians they might be.

And Don noticed that also like Ava, the Valenti boys seemed to have an affinity for the tattoos and the piercings. It suddenly made sense to him as to why they hadn't been pegged as belonging to the oh so secretive Valenti clan. They didn't look like the type that ran a Fortune 500 company. They looked more like the type that owned a gym or a tattoo parlor. If Ava, Ashley, and Braeden were any indication, the Valenti family was definitely an interesting bunch.

"Ay yo," a voice called from the kitchen. "Any of yous want breakfast?" Another man stepped into Don's line of site.

He was strikingly different from the Valenti brood. Well not the whole height, tattoos and piercings thing. This guy had a darker complexion and dark, almost black hair with the tips frosted a crimson color. Laughter danced in his stormy blue eyes like he knew something that the rest of the world didn't.

Zan stood in the doorway with a cocky smile. He had called it when he bet Ash and Brae that Ava would end up bringing her partner home after working the graveyard shift. In the time that Ava, Kyle, Brae, and Liz had been on the force, their partners were always like family. He knew that this new round of partners wouldn't be any different. And it wasn't like they didn't have room for company.

The entire top floor of their building had been turned into one giant penthouse apartment for the lot of em: Liz, Jaime, Mariella, Ava, Isla, Ashley, Braeden, Nathaniel, Nateri, C.J. and himself. Eleven people living in a space that was meant to house twenty five to thirty apartments. As a result, there were bedrooms for everyone - with each bedroom having its own bathroom, ten guestrooms, a gym, a game room, a playroom, a massive kitchen, not to mention the huge living room and the dining room.

It had everything they could need. Ashley had spared no expense when it came to their not so humble abode. He said he wanted his family taken care of.

Zan walked over to the group and stuck his hand out to Don. "Sup man, I'm Zan Evans."

Don shook his hand. "Don Flack."

"So yous tha poor guy who got saddled wit Aves eh?"

He chuckled as Ava promptly smacked him in the back of the head. "Excuse Zan, he must a left his brains in Colorado Springs." She loved her best friend dearly but wanted to kill him at times.

"So breakfast?" Zan asked as he chose to ignore Sprite's comments.

Everyone nodded including Don. Ava had invited him knowing that Zan would be making breakfast just like he did every Friday morning.

Suddenly, the phone in the apartment rang. Ashley promptly swiped the phone out of it's cradle. He scowled. Who the hell was calling at 7 in the AM? Were they nuts? "Ello?"

"_Hi baby."_

His face softened. "Oh hey Ma."

"_How's my boy? You doing good baby? Things going okay?"_

Ashley blushed. That clued his siblings as to who was on the phone. Only Amy Valenti could make Ashley blush like that. She worried about all her kids. Especially Ashley. He was running a billion dollar corporation and had a tendency not to take time out for himself. Even more so after Vala had died. The only time he seemed to slow down was when he was with his son.

"Yeah Ma, things goin real well. Place's all set. Plant opens up on Monday."

"_That's good. I'm so proud of you Baby. Me and your father both. I hope you know that."_

"Thanks Ma. I love ya guys too. What ya doin up so early in the mornin?"

"_I was up with your sister."_

"Why, what's wrong with Gia?"

"_She caught that stomach flu that's been going around. Your Dad and Jaden had it last week. I think Gia caught it from them."_

"She okay Ma?"

Amy smiled at her son's concern. He was always worried about all of his family. _"She's okay Baby. She'll be back to no good in a few days. Is everyone up?"_

"Yeah. Ya wanna talk to em?"

"_Yes Baby. Listen, I love you and I'll talk to you again in a few days."_

"Love ya too Ma. Hol' on a sec. I'll give ya Lizzie first."

While Ashley had been talking to their mother, Danny had shown up. Ava promptly let him in and began introducing him to everyone. They all sat around the table in the dining room as Zan took requests for breakfast.

Ashley knocked on Liz's door. He knew she was awake cause he could hear her singing. "Ay Fuego, Ma's on tha phone."

He laughed as Liz's door flew open and she swiped the phone from him. In less than a second, the door was shut again. He knocked on the door again. "Lizzie, when ya done, Z's makin breakfast an we got company. So make ya self presentable, K?"

Liz's answer was to throw the door open with the phone to her ear. "Mom, hold on a sec," she told their mother. "Who's here Ash?"

Ashley smirked. "Ya's an Aves new partnas."

"Mine?" She shrieked.

"Yep, he apparently lives downstairs an's good friends with Ava's partner. So say Hi ta Ma an hurry ya ass up." He had a satisfied smirk on his face. Sometimes, he enjoyed it when his sister's world was thrown off kilter. _She's too much of a perfectionist._

She huffed and stomped back into her room as she went back to her conversation with their mother. So much for lounging around in her pajamas for a while. Eh screw it.

The doors on each side of Liz's room flew open at nearly the same time. Jaime was already showered and dressed, ready for school. Mariella was still in her Tinker Bell pajamas.

When Ashley walked into the dining room, he realized he walked into a conversation about just how many kids were apart of the Valenti clan.

"Thirteen kids!" Danny exclaimed as he sat back in his chair. "Damn, an I thought my house was crowded with me, Louie, my Ma an Pops."

They all laughed. That was usually the reaction they got out of people. "Let me explain a lil furtha," Ava said at the bewildered looks on both Danny and Don's faces. "Ma had Ria when she was a teenager. Dad by then had Kyle an was married ta his first wife. Kyle's Mom stepped out an left em. Dad knew Ma cause he was best friends with her olda brotha, my Uncle Frankie. Sufficive ta say, they got married two years lata. Then they adopted Tess two years afta that. They also ended up adoptin their God children Lizzie, Carissa, an Jeffy when their parents were killed in a car accident. After that, Dad had become Sheriff a Roswell, followin in Grandpa James' footsteps. Dad did some diggin an he found out that Tess had three otha brothas an anotha sista who were in tha foster care system in New York. Ma made Dad pull whatever strings he could an next thing ya know, me, Brae, Michael an Ash suddenly have parents an a bigger family then we could have ever imagined. Dad got a sick job offer an we ended movin up ta Colorado Springs, but not before Ma had two more kids: our sista Giovanna an our baby brotha Jaden. She's gonna pop any day now with child number thirteen, our baby sista McKenna."

Don only caught a little bit of what Ava said. He was too busy watching her face light up as she talked about her siblings. She was so beautiful. He knew he was in trouble for sure. Having to work day in and day out with this woman was going to send him to an early grave. _But what a way to go Donnie._

Danny then piped up. This was the quietest Don could ever say he had seen his best friend. Danny almost seemed intimidated by this entire situation. Or maybe it was the Valenti brothers he found intimidating. "So ya all live here?"

Ashley started laughing hysterically. "Oh hell no. I love mah brothas an sistas but all of us unda one roof is too much. 'S me, my son Nathan, Lizzie, her kids Jaime an Mariella, Ava, Isla, Zan, our cousin Nateri, her son C.J. an Braeden."

"Where's everyone else?"

"Ma an Pop are still in Colorado. Dad's tha Police Commissioner of Colorado Springs. Gia an Jay live with em. Kyle's tha Sheriff a Roswell, New Mexico. He lives there wit his wife Isabel an my nephews. Tess an Rissa live in Colorado wit their husbands Ronan and Evan an their kids. Jeff's there too. Actually they all's stationed at Cheyenne Mountain."

"Military?"

"Air Force. Lizzie's half sista an her brotha-in-law are their COs."

"What bout ya other brotha an sista?" Danny had been mentally keeping track and he noticed that Ashley had left Maria and Michael out.

Don realized that they must have been the family that Ava had told him that passed away. She didn't say much. But she mentioned that she had lost a brother and a sister a few years ago.

Ashley's eyes darkened a little bit. A storm could be seen raging in their blue depths. "Mikey an Ria were killed, along wit my wife Vala an Ria's husband Max."

They were actually killed during the Exodus from Antar. The planet and its colonies were decimated by Ori and Wraith forces. Roughly seven thousand Antarians managed to escape. That was the real reason that Valenti Industries moved to New York. Nearly six thousand of those refugees had decided to settle in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. It made sense for all them to be near their people. Jack had been instrumental in making sure that every one of them got new identities and all the necessary paperwork for citizenship. As far as the US government was concerned, they all had either been born here or emigrated from other countries. It was also an opportunity for them to get away from all the memories. It the wake of losing Michael, Maria, Max, and Vala, life was tough to say the least.

Danny felt like an ass, but he couldn't of known. "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically.

"Don't be," Ashley told him sincerely. "Ya had no idea. It was four years ago. We've all come ta terms with it for tha most part 'cept for Lizzie. That day, she lost her husband an two best friends. Ria, Liz, an Vala were like tha three musketeers. An losing Michael nearly killed her. It broke her heart to have to tell Jaime that Daddy wasn't comin home."

Truth was Michael had never really been good to Liz or Jaime. He was selectively attentive. And yet, Liz had stepped up and taken her place as Jaime's mother without question. Michael barely spared a glance at that boy. It was him, his father and his brothers that were the male influences in Jaime's life. Jaime's birth mother Renee had killed herself only days after having her son. Michael had merely walked into the house with the baby and handed him to Amy Valenti. "Here's ya grandson," he told her gruffly as he went to his room. Michael was nineteen at the time and Liz was only fifteen. It was no secret that they were involved and while Jim and Amy didn't like it much (which is putting it mildly - as much as Jim loved Michael, he was tempted to haul his ass off to jail for deflowering his baby girl), they couldn't tell Liz no. They'd always had a soft spot for her. Ashley swore that it had to do with the fact that she survived the "car crash" that had killed her mother and step-father. And while she claimed to have no recollection of that day, she had been plagued by nightmares ever since.

And while Michael and Liz were living under the same roof, they weren't technically brother and sister. Michael, for some reason, had never allowed Jim and Amy Valenti to formally adopt him. He'd always been the rebel. Never content to let sleeping dogs lie. He was the one who would fight just for the sake of fighting.

So for reasons unknown, Liz had swiped him from Amy's arms. She looked up at the woman who had been her mother for the last ten years and told her that she'd take care of him. They all knew from that day forward that Liz was Jaime's mother regardless of what genetics said. In a way, it was just like Amy. The Valenti matriarch was their mother, even if their DNA didn't match.

It was then that the child in question, as well as his little sister strolled into the dining room. Danny immediately recognized them from the roof the day before. That meant that the gorgeous angel he had seen was their mother. He had to bite back a laugh. The group from the rooftop yesterday was the Valenti family. Ashley was the one who had his arm around Miss Beautiful. Oh he was gonna die. He knew it. There was no way he'd survive working with someone like her. He nearly choked as he was about to take a sip of his coffee but coughed to cover up his surprise. Thankfully no one had noticed.

"James Kyle Valenti the Third!" A commanding voice bellowed from outside the dining room.

"What Ma?" The boy yelled only to be slapped on the back of the head by his uncle.

"Don't ya dare talk to ya Ma like that J. When she calls, ya go," Braeden admonished his nephew.

Jaime hung his head down as he slunk out of the room. The adults all had to laugh. They had all been there as kids.

Liz could be heard berating her son about leaving his TV, his Nintendo Wii and his computer all on. He apologized as he went into his room and shut them off.

Two minutes later, Liz breezed into the room with her arm around her son's shoulders and the phone in her hand. "Morning kids." She turned to Ava, handing her the phone. "Mom wants to say hi."

With a giddy smile, she took the phone. Don watched as she wandered the room, chatting up her mother. His breathing nearly ceased when she locked eyes with him and winked.

Liz found herself glancing between the two new guys. Both were very attractive in their own ways. "So which one of you got stuck with me?" She was so hoping it was the cute Italian with the glasses.

Her prayers were answered when he replied with the three words that Liz so desperately wanted to hear. "That'd be me."

She stuck out her hand, "Liz Carter-Valenti." When she touched his hand, a connection instantly formed. Oh she was in trouble...

As he took her hand, a jolt of something he couldn't quite place ran up his spine. "Danny Messer." _Holy shit. Mac's a funny, funny man._ Liz was even more beautiful up close. Her long auburn hair had streaks of copper, red and blonde running throughout. He found himself wanting to get lost in the depths of her cerulean eyes. Her smile was infectious. His eyes almost crossed when he noticed that she had her tongue pierced. And the ink. For some reason, he'd always found tattoos on a woman sexy. She had more than one.

On the inside of her left wrist, were the words _Beautiful Disaster_ in a script writing. On her right wrist was a small rose with _Mama_ above it and _Papa_ below it. On her left bicep were four silver stars and the word _Daddy_ underneath them. On her right were two rows of writing that looked like it could've been Latin. He guessed that she probably had more in other places. _Don't even think about it Danny boy, you'll never get anything done today if you do._

Liz, oblivious to Danny's train of thought, then turned to Don. "You must be Aves' new partner."

He nodded at her. "Don Flack. Nice ta meet ya."

It was apparent from Liz's clothing that she was just as much of a spitfire as her sister. She was wearing a skin tight black tank top emblazoned with the words _'I'm the girl your parents warned you about.' _And the back pockets of her black stretch pants were adorned with _'Kiss This.'_.

Her smile was friendly as she took a seat across from the pair. "You too. So how was my sister's first shift?" She knew a little bit because Ava had _spoken_ to her and sent her a few texts throughout the night. Mostly about how hot her new partner was. Looking at him now, Liz couldn't deny that Aves' was right. He was hot as hell. Not that her new partner was anything to scoff at.

Don laughed oblivious to Liz's examination. "Ya sista's nuts. But she's good."

Liz smiled widely. "She's a Valenti so that's a given. We're all a little nuts. Some of us more than others. And yes, Aves is damn good at her job. We're all ridiculously proud of her. So, what'd she do that made ya say she's nuts?"

Don grinned as he began reciting the night's events. "She chased a perp for two city blocks an tackled his ass. I was impressed. Jumped a fence an shit. I can't say that I've eva seen a girl run in heels like that before. She even smacked him cause she almost broke a nail."

Liz giggled, as she smiled brightly.

To which Danny had to keep himself from drooling. Liz Carter-Valenti's smile did funny things to his stomach.

"That's Aves, our resident bad ass girly girl."

"I wouldn't talk," Ashley retorted. "Ya tha exact same way, Fuego."

Liz rolled her eyes and glanced in her brother's direction. "Let's not go there Blue. Gods forbid anyone touches your hair Mister Manly Man." She ruffled his hair, knowing damn well it would irk him, and prove her point all in one. So what if she was showing off for the company? It was solely for entertainment purposes. And she was in a frisky mood. She almost fell out of her chair laughing as he stalked off to the bathroom, muttering about annoying little sisters and such.

Don chuckled as he elbowed Danny. "That's somethin ya would do Mess."

"Shove it Flack," Danny replied.

Liz smirked. Oh they'd get along just fine. "Enjoying the show, Boys? I know our family dynamic is extremely amusing. I could make a killing selling tickets."

Both guys nodded. They were entertaining to say the least. Reminded Don of him and his sister Sam when they were younger. He felt a pang as he thought of how mixed up his baby sister had become. She was twenty-four and there were days he feared that she wouldn't make it to see her twenty-fifth.

Danny couldn't deny that in the fifteen minutes he'd been in the Valenti home, they'd made him a laugh more than a few times. Their mix of sarcasm, brutal honesty, and love was refreshing. Not many families had that kind of rhetoric, especially such a blended family. He'd always had it with his mother. But not with Louie or his father.

Liz again smirked knowingly at Don and Danny. "Just wait it'll get better I promise."

As if on cue, Braeden began chasing Ava around the dining room as she began telling their mother of her plans to find some hot New York chick to get Braeden laid 'cause it might make him stop PMSing.'

"C'mere Sprite," he told his sister. "I only wanna hug ya an talk ta Ma."

"Yeah," she yelled as she clutched the phone, "if by hug ya mean strangle! Not a chance in hell Spanky!"

It was hysterical to watch the thirty-four year old man chase his twenty-six year old sister around the apartment screaming at the top of his lungs. They all laughed hardest when Ava jumped over the couch and Brae kinda fell into it. He looked dazed for a moment before he scrambled around the couch, resuming his chase. Liz and Ashley had tears in their eyes at their siblings antics. But for them, this was the norm. This was the kind of relationship they all had with each other: playful, crazy, but most importantly: loving.

Ashley noticed how Don and Danny looked somewhere between amused and shocked. "Don' worry guys, ya get used ta it. This' a normal occurrence. I really don' know how mah Ma and Pops have any hair left on their heads. 'Specially with Sprite an Spanky runnin around."

Ava was still running away from her brother as she yelled "Jaime, Grandma wants ta talk ta ya." She tossed him the phone with ease as she slipped away from Braeden once again.

With a chuckle, the boy caught the phone easily. Jaime sat at the table, next to his sister as he spoke with his Grandmother. "Hey Nana, I'm good. Oh that noise? That's just Uncle Brae chasing Aunt Ava around the room. I know Nana. This family is crazy. Yep. Ma's taking me to school before work. Ella's staying here with Aunt Ava."

Ella then began trying to get the phone from her brother's hands. "Nana, Ella wants to say hi. Okay I love you too. Tell Papa I said hi. Bye Nana."

The little imp grinned as her brother plucked her from her seat and planted her in his lap. She took the phone and began chatting away. "Hi Nana. I good. Mama take me to tha pawk upstairs. It big. It sooo much fun." She nodded animatedly with wide eyes. "I wike New Yawk Nana. Tha buildings is big. All of dem. But it loud. Louda den Colowado."

Everyone could help but smile at the three year old's observations. Liz smiled as she brushed some of her daughter's curls out of her little cherubic face. She then brushed some of Jaime's hair out of his face. Neither kid flinched. Obviously they were used to their mother doing such things.

Danny watched Liz careful as she touched her children. It was very clearly written across her features how much she loved them. He didn't know why, but he found the fact that she loved her children so much very appealing. Maybe it was because he could remember his own mother being that tender with him as a kid. Especially since he was the baby of the Messer clan.

The serenity was interrupted as Isla started crying when she saw her Uncle chasing her Mommy. She jumped out of her chair and yelled at the top of her lungs while pointing her little finger. "Unca Bae Bad!"

Braeden skidded to a halt as the diminutive version of Ava chastised him. He bent down in front of her. "Hey, hey La. I'm not bad, ya Mommy an I was jus playin Baby girl."

"No payin," she huffed as stared him down. "No tase Mama."

It took everything in him not to laugh at the two year old doing her best to be authoritative. "Okay La. Ya win. I won' chase Mama." He scooped his niece up and took a seat at the table across from Ava. She had sat next to Don as if nothing had happened. Brae glared at her as he told his niece, "Jus tell ya Mama ta stop tellin Nana silly stuff bout Uncle Brae."

She nodded as if she was thinking about it and placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

Don grinned at Ava. She had started the whole thing and here was her toddler to finish it. "Good kid ya got there Flannery. I can see ya got her trained."

"What can I say. It's me an mah baby girl 'gainst the world."

Zan interrupted as he walked into the dining room with a massive amount of food on a huge tray. "Aight kids, time fa breakfast. Help ya selves."

Mariella then piped up. "Unca Z. Nana wanna talk ta you."

Zan smiled at his niece as she handed him the phone. "Ay Aunt A. We's good." He strolled back into the kitchen to get the juice and coffee.

Danny and Don got up to serve themselves but were quickly shooed back to their seats by Liz and Ava, much to their surprise.

"You's guests," Ava told them with a wink. "In this house, we serve tha guests."

"S okay Av," Don told her "I don' mind. Ya don' have ta serve me."

Ashley, Braeden and Zan shook their heads as Danny looked like he was about to protest as well.

Jaime, in true Valenti fashion, told the pair, "if you guys knew Nana Valenti, you'd understand."

Liz turned to her son. "Jaime hush. There's nothing wrong with good manners. Can you get your sister all set?"

He nodded, kissed his mother's cheek, and set about making a plate for Ella.

The group watched with smiles as the boy set the food down in front of the little girl who motioned with a finger for her brother to bend down. She wrapped her little arms around him and kissed his cheek. He blushed, knowing the adults were watching but ruffled his sister's hair affectionately none the less. There was no doubt that Jaime Valenti loved his baby sister with all his heart. And it was quite clear that Mariella Valenti absolutely adored her big brother.

Liz couldn't help the swelling of pride in her chest at the picture her children made. She had really lucked out. Her kids were so good to each other. There had been a time that she feared Jaime's reaction to having a sibling. But the boy had surprised her. He'd merely touched her stomach and told her that he couldn't wait to see Ella, and that she was going to be very pretty just like her.

It was predominately obvious to both Don and Danny that the Valenti clan was tight knit and loved each other very much. As Liz watched her kids, Ashley kissed her forehead. "Ya done good with tha runts Fuego."

She smiled back at her big brother, love shining in her eyes. There were days that she doubted it all. Being a CSI sometimes meant working obnoxiously long hours. But with the love and encouragement of her family, she never doubted herself for long.

Jaime received a kiss on the cheek from his aunt as he placed a plate in front of Isla. The toddler gave her cousin a toothy grin and said "sanks 'aime."

And everyone sat down to eat a peaceful breakfast.

Zan noticed that like him, Ashley was eyeing the exchanges between Liz and Danny as well as Ava and Don. _'Apparently, our girls have found themselves some new toys.'_ He loved to ruffle his best friend's feathers.

Ashley's eyebrow shot up. But not enough that it was noticeable. They didn't need a pair of Detectives asking unnecessary questions. Clearly his best friend was trying to make him choke on his breakfast. _'Don't say that shit Z. That's jus what they need.'_

Zan's eyes danced with laughter as he watched Ashley visibly twitch. _'Maybe it is. Ya never know.'_

'_Nah 's not. Lizzie's jus puttin herself back togetha. She can't handle her heart bein broken gain.'_

Knowing that an argument would ensue if they continued on the subject of Liz, he focused on other things. _'An Aves?'_

'_Doesn' deserve that knock at tha door gain.'_

'_Ash, ya need ta chill. It ain' like they marryin these guys tomorra. Jus chill.' _He smiled cause he knew that if his instincts were correct, and they usually were, that there would be marriages not tomorrow, but sometime in the future.

But what even he didn't know, was that the Big Apple had a present of it's own for him as well.

_----_

Mac knew that his two new investigators and their homicide detective sister were going to be a bit unique from the get go. He'd read their files extensively. Their reputations preceded them.

At 26, both Elizabeth and Avaria were among the youngest detectives in Colorado history. And now, they were the youngest second grade detectives that the NYPD had. More impressively, the girls had tied as first in their class from the Colorado Police Academy. Each girl had Master's Degrees by the time they were eighteen; Liz in chemistry, biology, and psychology, and Ava in forensic psychology and criminal justice. Braeden, a first grade detective, at 34, had nearly fifteen years on the force under his belt. Like his sisters, he'd been top in his class at the Academy. He held Master's in criminal justice and chemistry. And somewhere along the way, he'd become quite the expert in ballistics. He'd also done stints in narcotics and special victims.

All three had impressive service records as well. Only seven years ago, they'd been apart of a task force that was responsible for one of the largest drug busts in history. The trio had spent nearly a year undercover. They'd earned numerous commendations and service medals since then.

And just yesterday, he'd received a phone that only reasserted the fact that the Valentis were something special. It was a call from Lieutenant Giovanni Palermo, the head of the Colorado Springs Crime Lab.

--

'_Taylor, you should consider yourself very lucky to have them. Liz and Brae were two of the best CSIs I've ever had. And no one works Homicide like Ava does. Take care of the three of them.'_

"_I will," he responded with a grin. It was very clear from his tone of voice that Lieutenant Palermo had quite the soft spot for the trio._

'_While I'm at it, there's a few things I think you should be aware of,' he said with a chuckle._

"_Such as?"_

'_They speak their own language, the Valentis. It may take a little while but eventually, you'll learn to understand them. When they're together, the speak in half sentences and such. It's scary, almost to the point that you'd think they can read each others minds.'_

"_They're family, that's not surprising."_

'_When they get a hunch, let them go with it. Nine and half times out of ten, they're right. It may not always make sense at the time, but there are methods to their madness. Like I said before, they're the best.'_

"_Okay."_

'_Ava has a bit of a temper. She mutters under her breath a lot. When she's in a mood, just give her space. Actually, the same holds true for Liz. Trust me, the Valenti girls are not ones to be messed with. Both of them have black belts in MMA and are the younger sisters of two Air Force Lieutenant Colonels and cousins of a General that are all Level 5 in hand to hand. Don't let the fact that they're small fool you. They'd never take it out on a perp but when they get like that, send them to the nearest gym.'_

"_Good to know."_

'_Those kids are fiercely loyal and extremely good at what they do. I mean it, Taylor, take good care of them cause we'll always be willing to take them back.'_

"_I will. You have my word."_

--

They were certainly not what he expected. But this job had long ago taught him to expect the unexpected.

--

Danny casually strolled into Mac's office with Liz and Brae behind him. "Ay Mac, I got ya newbies."

Everything about the pair was in stark contradiction.

Braeden was about 6'4 with jade eyes and dirty blonde hair. He was built like a linebacker and stood behind his sister in an almost protective stance. He stood tall and proud though, at attention. Mac would bet anything that, that was a habit because they had family in the Air Force. And yet, laughter danced in Braeden's eyes almost as if he knew something that the rest of the world wasn't privy to. He was sharply dressed. The rolled up sleeves of his dress shirt revealed tattooed forearms. Further examination told Mac that Braeden had more piercings than just the two pairs of silver earrings he wore in his ears. He could swear that he had his labret and maybe even his tongue pierced. But it was very hard to tell. If he had retainers in, they must have been custom. Allowing piercings was not the custom of the NYPD, but Sinclair had told him that exceptions had been made when it came to the Valenti three. Knowing the impressive records they possessed, he understood. He didn't necessarily agree, but he understood.

Elizabeth was well over a foot shorter than her brother. And her looks seemed to be a bit more exotic as well. Her cerulean eyes seemed to contradict her tan skin and chestnut hair. Her hair was streaked with hints of blonde and an almost cherry red. She had three pairs of small hoops in each of her ears. But he could see that there were at least five more holes in each of her ears. He guessed that like her brother, there were more piercings. _Why would such a beautiful woman want to do that?_ He never understood the whole concept of piercings other than the ears.

'_We're being studied.'_ Liz told her brother, not looking in his direction. She wasn't about to give away their secret. It took years of practice, but they'd learned to communicate without outwardly acknowledging each other. They had no choice really. The outside world could not know their secrets, no ifs, ands, or buts.

'_He's sizin us up. I bet ya anythin that Gio called him. Ya know that no one knows what ta expect when it comes ta us.' _Brae replied, resisting the urge to smirk. There was no doubt that Boss Man was sizing them up.

'_Don't I know it. I'll bet he's very confused as to why we don't look anything alike.'_

Their musings were interrupted as Mac spoke. "Braeden Valenti and Elizabeth Carter-Valenti, welcome to the New York Crime Lab." He slid their badges and their service pistols across the desk to the pair.

As Liz slid her badge onto her pants and her gun into it's holster she replied. "Please it's just Liz and Brae. We're only Elizabeth and Braeden if we're in trouble with our mother."

Brae chuckled and Mac smirked. Danny had since gone to find everyone so that introductions could be made. "You'll be partnered up with Danny Messer and Lindsay Monroe. Liz, you're with Danny. Brae, you're with Lindsay. I'll show you around and introduce you to them."

"We already met Danny. He lives in our building," Brae said as he nudged Liz. He saw the sparks between Lizzie and Danny, and even between Aves and Don. And while Ashley wasn't too happy about it, like Zan, he wasn't opposed to the idea. He liked the possibility of Lizzie and Aves moving on with their lives. He knew that they'd find a new start here in New York. Before leaving Colorado, Aurora had pulled him aside and informed him that all of their lives were about to change drastically for the better. With a knowing grin, she'd happily told him that the Gods would be very kind to them with this move. She'd spoken with such confidence.

Aurora confessed that she'd had the same vision over and over again. She felt that the Gods were telling her that Liz, Ava, Ashley, Zan and her sister would find the other halves of their hearts in New York City. And she had a feeling that they'd be a lot closer than anyone realized. So that morning, when he'd seen the sparks that Don and Ava and Danny and Liz gave off, he just knew.

But one thing still troubled him about Aurora's visions. She'd taken his hand, looked him square in the eyes, and told him that he would meet the woman who would cause him to change his ways _permanently._ He humored her and listened to the story. But honestly, he didn't hold stock in the belief that there was truly a _socius cor_ out there for him. He was perfectly content with the bar and club scene. In all his years on this Earth, he hadn't once had the urge to settle down. There was something in him that didn't believe he'd ever find that _one_. So he'd always had the reputation as the playboy in their. He made no apologies for it either. It wasn't like he lied to any of the woman he'd been with. He was always truthful and up front about the fact that he wasn't looking for more than just a body to keep the other side of his bed warm.

"Yeah," Danny chimed from the doorway cutting Brae's wandering thoughts short. "Imagine my surprise when I get a text from Flack tellin me ta go upstairs fa breakfast. 'S a funny lil thing. Their sista Ava is Flack's new partna. So I had breakfast with em this mornin."

Mac arched an eyebrow. Danny seemed very happy about that fact. _Not again._ He'd have to keep an eye on that. As far as he was concerned, what happened in the personal lives of his team was their own business. But, with Danny and Lindsay, their relationship had affected their work relationship. He couldn't have that again.

Even though he'd seen the sparks between Danny and Lindsay that first day, a part of him had always known it just wasn't gonna work out. The loud mouthed wise ass from Staten Island and the tough as nails country girl were oddly matched from the get go. There seemed to be no happy medium with them. It was either they were really happy or they couldn't stand the sight of each other. Be it because Lindsay pulled away during the whole trial thing in Montana or Danny cheating on Lindsay in the wake of Rubin Sandoval's death. It seemed that they were hell bent on hurting each other. So when they came to him and informed him that they'd chosen to end their relationship, he'd breathed a sigh of relief.

But now, Danny stood in front of him clearly captivated by Liz. He was weary of history repeating itself.

Yeah, he'd have to keep an eye on that.

And thus began Day One at the NY Crime Lab for Liz and Brae.

----


	2. This Crazy Life We Lead

Chapter Two: This Crazy Life We Lead

So Liz, Ava, and Brae's first three weeks flew by. They settled in relatively well.

As expected, a few of their fellow officers weren't very kind. Rather it was an offhanded comment about their father or brother getting them where they were; or a joke about how good Liz and Ava might be in bed. Some made Brae growl. His sisters generally chose to pay no attention to the ignorant assholes around them. Overall, it was nothing that the thick-skinned Valenti Clan couldn't handle.

Don and Danny quickly became welcome additions to life in the Valenti household. Ashley, Brae and Zan were never happier to have other guys around. It made missing their brothers a bit easier. Don and Zan bonded instantly. And the others knew it was because Don had a lot of the same personality traits that Max had possessed. Don took no shit and was quick to call anyone on theirs. It seemed that he was quickly filling a hole in Zan's life that had been there since the day Max died.

And Danny it seemed, was just as smart mouthed as Kyle. He fit in perfectly with the boys. The five of them could often be found together in the game room making ridiculous wagers on anything from the weather to the next basketball game.

It made the girls crack up hysterically every time.

Sheldon had joined them a few times as well. Especially when the guys would get together for a game of basketball. He never failed to make any of the girls smile; he was always quick to dish out compliments much to his friends' dismay.

Lindsay was accepted into the fold just as quickly. She was extremely amicable that first day. So of course, Liz had invited her over for dinner. And it went from there.

She fit in amazingly well with the Valenti girls. For so long, Ava, Liz and Nateri were only used to having each other or family. Having another girlfriend to talk to was refreshing. She often joined them on their shopping trips and girl's nights. Plus, Lindsay knew how it felt to be the newbie. Right off the bat, she had warned Liz and Brae that Mac would find every way possible to put them to the test, if only for a little while.

Mac had been nice enough. They quickly realized that he was to an extent a very private person. Ava had remarked about the pain that he held inside. Outwardly, he carried on day to day as if nothing was wrong, _just like Liz_. Ava told her brothers, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he kept it mostly to himself, just like their sister. For some reason, she felt that both he and Liz would benefit from each other's company. Might help Lizzie to have someone else to commiserate with that wasn't related to her. Ashley told her she was crazy and Brae said that she couldn't fix all the troubles of the world no matter how hard she tried. They wanted her to leave it be.

Stella, like Mac was nice to them. But Brae couldn't help but feel that she scrutinized them more so than others. Like she was waiting for one of the almighty Valentis to screw up. Liz insisted that she was just being cautious and she couldn't blame her. After all, their reputations did precede them. Psychic Ava swore that Stella didn't let people in easily because of past experiences. To which Ashley told her that she must've gotten her Psychology degree from a Cracker Jack box.

A comment which earned him three cuffs on the head from his sisters _and_ his cousin.

The Valenti girls **always** stuck together.

----

Like the previous four Fridays, the usual suspects could be found gathered at the table scarfing down another one of Zan's culinary inspired breakfasts.

The group was enjoying a rousing discussion about cars versus SUVs when six cell phones rang at all once.

Moans and groans erupted as they got up to leave.

----

Turned out there was a quadruple homicide at Central Park West.

A very high profile quadruple homicide. Fashion Designer to the stars Elena Grimaldi, her husband Christopher, and their teenage daughters Lane and Lisa.

Braeden and Lindsay were tasked with photographing the scene. Liz and Danny had been assigned to the bodies. Ava and Don were talking to the neighbor who had stumbled upon the grizzly scene.

Stella stood to the side with Mac and watched the six carefully. "I still don't get it Mac," she confided to her longtime friend.

Mac turned to look at her. For the first time in fourteen years, he couldn't quite read her expression. "Get what?"

Her head shook almost imperceptibly. "Three of them? Seriously?"

He shot her a half surprised, half curious look. "What's the problem Stell?"

"Their ages for one."

Now it was he who shook his head at her. "That can't be it because Braeden's been on the force for fifteen years and Liz and Ava for nearly eight. That aside, Brae's only two years younger than you. What's the real issue?"

She sighed deeply. "It's just that they're..."

"Valentis?" He supplied with a smirk.

She nodded. "I have to admit that makes me apprehensive."

"Stell, their brother did not buy their way into the NYPD. You know that I hand pick my team. There's a reason that Sinclair was willing to take them even in the midst of budget cuts. Their service records speak for themselves. But if you'd read them, you'd know that. Give them a chance. I guarantee that they'll impress you soon enough."

"All right," Stella told him some what skeptically. She hoped that he was right. _Maybe I should take a look at their records._ She thought to herself. Not once since they'd started at the Crime Lab, had she thought to check into their backgrounds. Mac had to be right. The whole of the NYPD, including the Crime Lab, had felt the wrath of the budget cuts. So why was it that Chief Sinclair readily took on three more Detectives?

The pair stood back and watched. Mac had already decided that he wanted to let Liz, Danny, Brae and Lindsay take the reins on this case. It was high time that the Valentis got the chance to show New York just why it was they shined in Colorado. He knew that they wouldn't let him down. It was time to put the newbies to the test.

--

"Signs of a struggle," Liz said as she examined the teenage girls' hands. "They both fought back and fought back hard. I've got skin and blood here."

"They're tha only ones," Danny said as he examined the parents' bodies. "I got nothin on eitha of tha parents. Only a single GSW ta tha back of tha head."

Braeden chimed in from by the door. "No signs a forced entry. Whoeva did this was let in. These people knew their killa."

"Killas," Ava corrected as she stood above Danny.

"Why ya say that Av?" Don asked as he quirked an eyebrow at his partner.

"Think bout it. Both a tha 'rents gotta GSW ta tha back of tha head. If one was shot before tha otha, tha one who wasn't woulda fought."

Don didn't have time to respond before he was cut him off.

"They were getting ready for dinner," Lindsay said as she surveyed the kitchen table. It was loaded with a large chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and broccoli. The settings were out but not a bit of the food had been served yet.

Ava stood in the living room surveying the scene looking somewhat confused.

"Aves?" Liz said as she looked up at her sister. She felt the unease coming off of Ava in waves.

"Somethin's not right, Lizzie," she replied softly. There was something that was very off but she couldn't quite place what it was.

"Four people are dead Av," Don told her with a sardonic smirk. "What else could be wrong 'sides that?"

She shot daggers at Don with her eyes. "I dunno Flack. But there's somethin else. I'm tellin ya."

Braeden couldn't resist the urge. "Spidey Senses tinglin Aves?" As much as he teased, he knew that his sister's intuition was always right on the ball.

Ava shook her head at her brother. "Laugh it up Jackass. Somethin's off." She then turned to Lindsay. "Ay Linds, how many settings at tha table?"

Lindsay looked down at the table briefly. "Seven."

"So who tha otha three people that, that table was set for?" She quirked her eyebrow at both her partner and her brother as if to say 'I told you so.'

Liz stood up to glance at the table. "Kids. Those three plates are smaller than the others." There was alarm in her voice.

"The neighbor said that tha three youngest had gone away with Mr. Grimaldi's parents last week an wouldn't be home for three more days," Don said to reassure Liz and Ava whose eyes were bugging out and expressions were fraught with worry.

Liz shook her head emphatically. "Well they must have come home early. Otherwise, they wouldn't have set those places. Think about it Don."

Liz was right. It didn't make sense. Both girls turned to him with pleading eyes. "I'll issue an Amber alert," he replied already half way out the door. Stella turned to follow him.

"Ay Don," Brae half yelled to his friend.

"What Brae?"

"Jus outta curiosity, how old are these kids?"

The answer made Liz and Ava's blood run cold and Brae turned six shades whiter. "Two, three an' six." It wasn't lost on him that the Grimaldi kids were the same ages as Isla, Mariella and Nathan.

Time was now of the essence.

--

Three hours later, the entire city was frantically searching for the three missing children. But it still didn't make sense. Not one of the Grimaldi's neighbors said that they'd seen the children leaving the home. A few had seen two men dash out the door, but no kids. The house had been searched twice over since then and still nothing had turned up.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an idea came to Brae. "Ay Lizzie, Aves?"

Both girls turned to regard their brother curiously.

"Ya 'memba tha time when we played hide an seek at Nana Shep's house?"

They nodded.

"'Memba how we couldn't find Rissa an Jeff for hours?"

Again they nodded.

"'Memba why?"

Ava shook her head no while Liz looked contemplative. Her eyes lit up. She knew exactly where Brae was going with his line of questioning. It was ingenious really. Figures that the one with no children of his own thought of it first.

Stella, Mac, Danny and Lindsay eyed the exchange with interest. They were curious to see where Braeden was going with his train of thought.

Liz smirked knowingly at her older brother. "We couldn't find them because Johnny and Derek had told them not to talk or move a muscle."

The CSIs looked puzzled. So she went into further detail as she regarded the four.

"Our brother Jeff and sister Carissa were three and four at the time. We were spending the summer at my Grandma's estate in the Hamptons. All of us including my cousins, John, Derek and Nancy decided to play hide and seek. We divided up into two teams made up of pairs of us. The team with the least people caught would get to make the other team do their chores for a week. The house was huge so we figured why not. Jeffy and Rissa were going through this phase where they took everything they were told literally. To scare them into staying quiet, Derek and Johnny told them that if they made any noise, monsters would come get them. So they sat in that closet and didn't make a peep for nearly six hours. We only found them cause Rissa finally had to go to the bathroom. I swear they must have had every cop in Suffolk County looking for them. Nana went nuts and wouldn't let them out of her sight for the rest of the summer."

Danny threw his hands out in an 'I don't get it' gesture. "An tha point of that lil tale was?"

"Point bein Messer," Brae said as he eyed his friend, "is that maybe tha kids were told ta hide and they did 'actly what they was told."

"Search the house again," Mac told the group in his 'authoritative Mac' voice. Part of him was praying that Brae was right. "Top to bottom, every single spot that they could hide. Stell, Brae, you're with me. We'll start in the basement."

--

Ten minutes later, Brae was standing in front of a trap door that he had found by moving a piece of sheet rock that had been laid against the wall. It was at such an angle that three little bodies could have slipped in behind it. He opened the door and shined his flashlight inside.

"Mac, Stella, I got em." He said as he visually examined the frightened children. Little Jason Grimaldi sat huddled in between his baby sisters, Nina and Chrissy. Jason appeared to be cradling his left arm. Nina and Chrissy looked in reasonably (and that was using the term very loosely) good shape. The girls were half hiding behind their brother.

His eyes softened as he spoke to them. "Ay guys, I'm Brae. I'ma police offica. We been lookin for tha three a ya all day. Ya got lotsa people worried bout ya. Can ya guys come out for me?" He pulled out his badge to show them that he wasn't lying.

Jason shook his head vehemently and pulled his sisters closer to him. There was no way he was letting them go.

It didn't go unnoticed that Jason winced painfully as he clutched his sisters tightly. The boy was clearly injured more than they realized.

Stella bent down to give it a shot. "Hi sweetie. My name's Stella. We're not gonna hurt you. Will you come out so we can make sure you're okay?" She held out her hand to them.

Jason was not impressed with Stella either. Again the little boy indicated that they weren't going anywhere.

Braeden turned to Mac, another idea brewing in his head. "Ay Mac, can ya do me a favor an get my sistas?"

The older Detective went upstairs without question. He was pretty sure he knew what Brae was doing.

Not even a minute later, Liz and Ava came bounding down the steps at light speed. They skidded to a halt beside their brother.

"Ay Jay," Brae said to the boy, "'S Ava an Lizzie, they're my little sistas jus like Nina an Chrissy are yours."

They had to bite back a laugh as Jason Grimaldi's eyes darted back and forth between the trio. He almost looked incredulous. His eyes seemed to say, _'you're kidding right?'_

Liz smiled, knowing what was running through the boy's head. They'd gotten it all their lives. "I know." She told him as she shook her head and scrunched up her features to make a funny face. "We don't look alike do we?"

With the tiniest smile, Jason shook his head again.

She had to hand it to him, Jason Grimaldi at six years old, was very smart. _Time for a new plan of attack. _"You can read, can't you Jay?"

Green eyes sparkled as he nodded. Obviously that was an achievement he was very proud of.

She reached into her shirt and pulled out her dog tags. Her brother and sister quickly followed suit. "See that," she told him as she pointed, "it says my last name's Valenti. Just like Ava and Brae's do."

Carefully, he slid forward so he could touch them. He let go of hers to look at Braden's and then did the same with Ava's. Once satisfied that she was telling the truth, he sat back again.

"So Buddy," Brae said with a smile, "can we get ya an ya sistas ta come out now?"

He nodded. Nina went willingly to Ava and Chrissy to Liz. As for Jason, he was quickly and gently scooped up into Brae's arms.

Unbeknownst to the trio, Mac shot Stella a look that most certainly seemed to say 'I told you so.'

She smacked his arm in response. When he was right, he was right. But she knew this would one of those times that he'd gloat about it every chance he got.

--

Upstairs, things quickly went from bad to worse. One of the EMTs tried to take - practically snatch - Jason from Braeden's arms. In the process the boy began crying which turned to wailing as soon as he spotted the blood on the floor. Knowing where it came from, he started struggling and screaming.

This in turn, sent his little sisters into hysterical fits.

At that point, Liz and Ava gave the EMTs, who by this time were practically growling at the kids, death stares and refused to surrender either little girl. If looks could kill, those boys would have been dead for sure.

It took a few minutes, but they managed to get the kids calmed down some what. Jason was sobbing softly on Braeden while his sisters buried their faces on Liz and Ava's shoulders.

Mac caught the whole exchange. "I suggest that the three of you go with the three of them to the hospital. DCFS is backed up and they won't be able to send someone for a while. Keep them company and get whatever you can."

Wordlessly, the Valenti kids nodded as they made their way out the door with the Grimaldi kids.

--

Two Hours Later:

Mac stood outside the kids' hospital room, watching them carefully. Jason, Nina and Chrissy were piled onto one bed together happily watching television. One wouldn't know simply by watching them, that their mother, father, and older sisters were only murdered hours before.

Feeling eyes on her, Liz glanced up and motioned for her brother and sister to follow. The trio moved into the hallway.

"How are they?" Mac asked as he inclined his head in the children's direction. Liz did her best to reign in her emotions as she ran down their injuries. But he could see it in her eyes that she was deeply affected. Affected only the way a mother would be.

"Jason has a broken arm and needed ten stitches above his left eye. Nina has a sprained ankle and a split lip. She needed three stitches. Chrissy has some bruising on her wrists and waist."

Most of the time, things that happened in this city didn't surprise Mac much, but this one had him shaking his head in dismay. Who the hell would go after a two, three and six year old like that?

Braeden, Ava and Liz already had the answers.

"Apparently, their Grandfather had gotten sick so the vacation got cut short. They came home yesterday."

Okay, so that explained the kids being there. But who was it?

Braeden took over for his sister. "Mr. G's tha kids' step-fatha. He legally adopted them all when he married Mrs. G. Their real Dad had been visitin them more an more lately. Jay said that he came back inta tha picture about six months ago. Lisa an Lane wanted nothin ta do with him. They told tha kids that their fatha was up ta somethin."

Ava piped up at this point. "So he shows up tonight wantin ta take only Jason, Nina an Chrissy. Mrs. G wouldn' let em cause they was bout to have dinna. He blew a fit an they shot Mr. an Mrs. G. Him an his brotha tried ta grab tha kids an drag em out tha door. Lisa an Lane heard tha commotion an came runnin in tha room. They sent tha kids ta hide. Lisa told em not ta come out at all. Jason said they heard a lotta screamin an then two more shots."

Liz shook her head and fought back tears. "Jason also said that he heard them come down the stairs looking for them. But as soon as they heard sirens, they got spooked and ran."

Now all they needed was to pick the guys up.

Again, leave it to the Valenti clan to beat Mac to the punch.

"Flack an a couple a unis picked em up a hour ago. They was screamin somethin bout insurance. They was stupid enough ta believe that if they had tha kids, they'd get tha big bucks." Brae said as he shook his head sadly. "So those three kids were orphaned ova money."

"Anyone come for them yet?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah. Mrs. Grimaldi's parents are on their way to come get them. In the meantime Mrs. Thames from DCFS is gonna stay with them."

He nodded. The three were quickly proving that they were very good at what they did. Most children who had been through such a traumatic event, would clam up. But somehow, the Valentis managed to get the Grimaldi kids to talk. "Good work,"

The trio smiled at each other. Not bad. Not bad at all.

"Can I ask about the dog tags?"

Truth was, they were one of Jack's requirements, even for non Air Force personnel. So they all wore them, even the kids. Each set had a locator chip in it. They were a fail safe in case the trackers that were implanted in their arms, for any reason didn't work. That and Gods forbid anything happened, they could be identified.

Not even batting an eye, Brae began reciting the agreed upon cover story. "They were a Christmas gift from our cousins, olda sista an brotha-in-law. They's all in tha Air Force. We've had them for close to twenty years now."

Mac quirked an eyebrow up. "Air Force, huh?"

Liz smirked. "It's the second family business. Some of us are on the force and some of us are in it." She chuckled.

Brae and Ava laughed. Liz could be so goofy at times.

The group didn't even realize that Stella was behind them until she spoke up. "So is there anyone else in your family that's on the force?"

"Our Dad. Our brother Kyle. And our brother Ashley was one of us for eight years."

Stella smiled but shot the three an apologetic look. She hadn't really been giving them a fair chance over the past few weeks. Mac was right, she was being judgmental. Today alone, Braeden, Liz, and Ava had proven they were more than capable of doing their jobs.

Ava had been the first to realize that Jason, Nina and Chrissy were missing. Braeden had found them. And all three had gotten the traumatized children to talk.

"You three really did do a great job today," she told them.

The sisters blushed as Ava elbowed Liz. Braeden looked down at the floor. All three had smiles on their faces.

The moment was interrupted by Liz's cell phone.

"Carter." Her voice softened instantly as she realized who was on the line.

'_Hi Mama. Are you comin home?' _Mariella's little voice gave away her impatience.

Mac and Stella observed Liz with curiosity. She had a wide smile on her face.

Liz could only chuckle. "Hi baby. No Mama's not coming home yet. But I'll be home in a little while."

She could hear Isla yelling in the background. _'What bout _my_ Mama?' _

'_Mama, are Unca Brae and Aunt Ava comin home too?'_

"Yes Baby. Uncle Brae and Aunt Ava are coming home too. Okay? Listen, I love you and I'll see you in a little while. Can you put Uncle Zan on?"

'_I wuv ya too Mama.' _Rustling could be heard as Ella bounded into the kitchen to find her Uncle.

Liz turned to her sister and put her hand over the mouthpiece on the phone. "Seems our girls are getting impatient."

Ava could only laugh in response.

"Just like their mothas," Brae said with a smirk.

A comment which promptly earned him a smack on each side of his head. He rubbed it with a scowl on his face.

Mac and Stella watched the exchange with amused grins. The Valenti family was certainly entertaining. And the Valenti woman were quick to keep the Valenti men in line. Brae getting cuffed on the back of the head showed that.

'_Ello?'_

"Hey Z. How have they been?"

'_Perfect angels like always. Ya know ya girls wouldn' act up fa they Uncle Z.'_

Liz gave Ava an incredulous look. "Perfect angels, huh? So what'd you do, drop Ella and Isla off somewhere and go home with two other little girls?"

Her comment made both her brother and sister crack up. It's not that Mariella and Isla were bad per se. They were just very good at getting _exactly_ what they wanted when they wanted it. Especially if they were together. And Zan was a sucker for his nieces.

She could hear the smile in his voice as he replied. _'Listen Precious, I can' help it that tha girls behave themselves fa me.'_

"And what did you buy them to earn that?"

There was a moment of silence before he responded. _'Nothin.'_

Well if that wasn't a telltale sign that he was lying, she didn't know what was. "Yeah right. Where'd you go with them Zan? Toys 'R Us?"

The sigh he let out told her everything she needed to know. _'Maybe?'_

She groaned as she mouthed to her sister 'he went shopping'; Ava, in turn, rolled her eyes. When did he not go shopping? Zan couldn't resist the urge to spoil his nieces and nephews.

Liz was shaking her head as she spoke into the phone. "What'd you get them?"

'_Well, let's jus say that tha Princesses will be travelin in style from now on.'_

With a heavy sigh, she chastised him. "Zan, tell me that you didn't buy them those Disney Princess Jeeps they've been begging for." She ran her hand down the left side of her face, her expression somewhere between annoyance and frustration.

But Zan's tone didn't change at all. Clearly, he was standing his ground on the subject. _'Kay I won'. I'll jus tell ya that I got em somethin just like it.'_

Meanwhile, Brae shook his head as he whispered to Mac and Stella. "Dammit, I was gonna buy them an he beat me ta tha punch." His expression was one of mock dismay.

Stella stifled a chuckle and Mac grinned.

Ava glanced at her brother incredulously. "Seriously, c'mon Brae. Because of ya guys, Isla an Ella think they get everythin they ask for."

He made a pfft sound as he replied. "Yeah like ya don't give ya daughta everythin she wants."

"No I don'," she told him in an irritated voice. "Did Ma give us everythin we wanted? Did Daddy? I refuse ta raise a spoiled child. She needs ta 'preciate everythin she has." Her arms crossed as she did her best to stare him down.

Unsuccessfully by the way. How does one who is barely 5'2 and a buck five, stare down someone who is 6'4 and 265 pounds of pure muscle? It was funny to watch none the less.

Brae's eyebrows shot up. _Who tha hell ya kiddin Aves? _"First off, Pops gave ya, Lizzie, Ria, Rissa, Tessie an Gia, everythin yas asked fa. Second, not a one a yas acts like a spoiled brat. Thirdly, there ain' no way in hell that she won' 'preciate what she got. Ya ain' neva gonna let her. So chill yaself."

It was interesting to both Mac and Stella to watch their family dynamic first hand. They'd had little opportunity to watch the three of them together since they'd started with the NYPD. Two things were clear: they loved each other very much and they came from a big family.

Meanwhile, Liz and Zan's conversation continued. _'So anyways, we havin guests fa dinna?'_

"Nice change of subject Z. But to answer your question yeah. Danny, Don and Linds will be there. Were you or were you not at the breakfast table this morning?"

Zan obviously chose to ignore her snide comment. He simply replied, _'what bout tha othas? Why don't ya ask em?'_

"I will. I make no guarantees though. What time's dinner anyway?"

'_I have my meetin at five so figure seven, seven thirty.'_

She was really proud of Zan to say the least. They all were.

He'd been having a real tough time lately. Ever since he'd run into his ex wife Katie in Central Park. No one expected the bitch to be here in New York of all places. Instead of going back to the bottle like she knew he was tempted to, he started going to AA meetings again. No matter what, he vowed that he'd never take a drink again. Alcohol had nearly destroyed his life and has taken his daughter from him.

Actually his ex wife was to blame for that.

Zan had married Kathleen Christiansen as soon as she turned eighteen. He had been ridiculously in love with her from the moment he'd lain eyes on her. He even went so far as to asked Katie's father's permission to propose. It was a small ceremony with only their family and closest friends there that day - a day full of love and laughs. They lived in a tiny little apartment on the outskirts of town until Zan had finished the police academy. He graduated, first in his class, with a spot already waiting for him in the Albuquerque P.D.. So they'd moved into a beautiful three bedroom house halfway between Roswell and Albuquerque. Life couldn't have been better. And then Katie found out she was pregnant. Zan's life, it seemed, was complete. All he'd wanted from the minute he and Katie had said their I dos was a child of his own.

Vanessa had been two months old and Katie had been trashed beyond belief. Her blood alcohol was nearly three times the legal limit. It apparently came out later that, that was her way of dealing with postpartum depression, when no one was around. She drove straight into a telephone pole. The force of the crash had snapped little Nessa Evans' neck.

Naturally, Zan wasn't the same after that.

He became withdrawn. Barely spoke. Barely ate. He was a shell of the once happily married father.

Katie was sent to jail. Much to everyone's dismay, she was sentenced to only fifteen years.

Fifteen years for taking away a little baby's life before it had even begun. Fifteen years for stripping a father of his daughter. Fifteen years for ruining her husband's life and almost breaking him beyond the point of redemption.

Zan quit the Albuquerque P.D., leaving behind a promising career. He dropped out of school, giving up on his love of cooking. And in a sick twist of irony, Zan began to hit the bottle. Hard.

He left behind the house that him and Katie had moved into just after they'd married and took up residence in his parents' basement. He slept all day and drank all night. It killed their entire family (including the Valentis and the Evans') that he'd taken such a downward spiral. One night, everyone was at their wits end with Zan. They decided to stage an intervention. For hours, all his loved ones took turns begging and pleading with him to turn himself around.

In the end, it had been Isabel and Lonnie that were the deciding factors. Having his sisters clinging to him, tearfully begging him to stop drinking had done him in. The then ten and eleven year olds were terrified of losing their brother the same way they'd lost their niece.

By the end of that night, he'd agreed to check into an inpatient facility up in the Catskill Mountains. He gave up the alcohol for good and never looked back.

He'd been sober for seventeen years now. Actually, to be exact, he'd been sober for six thousand, two hundred and forty-eight days.

He'd eventually gone back to school, getting a degree in the Culinary Arts. But, as Ashley's right hand man, the only cooking he got to do these days was at home.

Not that he minded. Being the Vice President of Valenti Industries was quite an accomplishment for Zander Evans. Even though he loved to cook, he was no slouch when it came to his business sense.

And his family couldn't be prouder.

--

It took some convincing, but Liz managed to talk Mac and Stella into coming to dinner at the Valenti household. Mac, Lindsay, Sheldon and Stella all rode together.

When Braeden let them in, they were met with quite an amusing sight.

Two of the NYPD's hard assed Detectives were sitting on the floor around the coffee table. Ava sat between them with Danny on her left and Don on her right. "Ay guys, this' my daughta Isla. We's playin go fish."

The little girl gave a wave. She was far too engrossed in her game to really pay much attention to their guests. She'd get to them later.

Everyone chuckled as she held her cards up in front of her face. They watched as her eyes darted from the cards to Danny and back again. She repeated the action twice more before telling him to "go fwish."

Danny fought hard to bite back a laugh. "I dunno Lil Flannery," he told the girl. "I think ya holdin' out on me."

She frowned in response. "I not lil Fwannewy. I's Iwa. An I not buffin. Make ya move Messa."

Don choked on his beer and Ava laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. Danny merely smirked. "Ya crazy Kiddo."

"Yeah, she's your kid Ava," Sheldon said as he, Lindsay, Mac and Stella took seats on the couches that framed one side of the room.

The front door opened, and in walked Zan, Jaime and Mariella.

Jaime took the groceries from his uncle and proceeded to bring them into the kitchen. Zan, with a crooked grin, introduced himself to Mac and Stella.

"Nice ta meet ya," he told them as he shook their hands. Mariella, not one to be forgotten, tugged on her uncle's pants. He scooped her up in his arms. "This little imp's Mariella, Liz's daughter."

Stella smiled widely. "Like we couldn't figure that out. She looks just like Liz. Don't ya cutie?"

"Hiya." she said with a bright smile. She motioned for Zan to put her down and quickly clamored up into Stella's lap. "You very pretty," the little girl told her.

"And so are you," Stella told her. It was the truth. Liz's daughter was absolutely breathtaking right down to her cerulean eyes that were unlike anything Stella had ever seen before.

Jaime coughed from behind Zan. He wasn't one to steal the spotlight from his baby sister but he didn't want to be forgotten either.

Zan chuckled, knowing exactly what Jaime was doing. "An' this lil punk is Liz's son Jaime."

With a smirk that was reminiscent of his father's, Jaime waved. He was used to the shocked looks on people's faces when he was introduced by now. The looks on Mac and Stella's face were no exception. In all honesty, his Mom really didn't have to put up with that. After all, she wasn't his biological mother. But, she'd never treated him any different than his little sister, who was her blood. He honestly believed that his Mom was the most amazing woman in the world, aside from Nana Valenti that is. She had always loved him with everything in her. And yet, at eleven years old, James Kyle Valenti the Third, was wise beyond his years. He was smart enough to realize that he was extremely lucky to have a mother that loved him so much.

Danny interrupted Jaime's musings. "Ay, J my man, how was practice?"

He quickly squeezed himself in between his aunt and Danny. The pair could talk baseball for hours. When Danny had told him that he had played at one point, he became Jaime's new best friend. "Awesome. You know we won the last two games right?"

Mac watched the interaction closely. It was pretty obvious from their demeanor that Danny, Don, Lindsay and even Sheldon were pretty close to the Valenti clan. How had he missed that? But then again, this was the first time either he or Stella had been let into the family's inner sanctum. Outside of their family and friends, it was clear that they were private people. He also understood that tight relationships tended to form between partners. He and Stella had been no exception. Since that first case they had worked together, Stella had been his best friend.

Danny nodded. The enthusiasm in Jaime's voice was almost palpable. "Ya Ma told me. I'm sorry I missed em." He said as he ruffled Jaime's hair.

Over the past two years, Jaime had gotten used to his family not always being able to catch his games. He knew that his mother, Aunt Ava, and Uncle Brae worked crazy hours so knew he knew that Danny's weren't much better. Despite that, at least one member of his family was always there. Last time, it had been Aunt Ava, Don, Uncle Ashley, Nathan, Ella, and Isla. They'd been the loudest people in the stands. "That's okay Danny."

"Ya gotta game on Saturday right?"

"Yeah. Double header."

Danny smirked. "Just so happens I'm off. I'll be there."

Jaime's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?"

Danny couldn't help but laugh as he nodded. "Yeah. Wouldn' miss it."

He could see the wheels turning in the young man's eyes. "That's so cool. Wait a minute. Does that mean Mom's coming too?" He knew that his mother and Danny tended to have, for the most part, the same days off.

He nodded, failing to hold back his smile. "Well that was tha plan."

"That's awesome. I love it when Mom's there."

The melee was interrupted as the front door opened again. This time, admitting Liz, Ashley and Nateri.

The girls said their hellos to everyone while Ashley stood back. Liz made introductions. "Mac, Stella, this is my brother Ashley and my cousin Nateri Valenti. Ash, Teri this is Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera."

Mutely, Ashley nodded his head. He wasn't one for words until he knew someone a little bit better. The morning that Don and Danny were introduced the Valenti family chaos had been a rare exception. Outside of his family and friends, Ashley Valenti had always been a private person, just as in his previous life. But, he did catch himself eying the beautiful woman Liz had just introduced him to. He noticed that Mariella was planted in her lap. His niece was an excellent judge of character. So Ms. Beautiful had to be good people. Her aura however, told him that she was conflicted. That at some point, she had experienced a fair amount of pain. _Well we all have our secrets, don't we?_

He then said his hellos to Sheldon, Lindsay, Danny and Don.

Nateri gave a small wave. "Nice to meet you," she told them in an accent that sounded akin to Irish.

Unlike the bulk of her family, Nateri and her older sister Aurora had grown up on Ankara, a colony on the edge of the Antarian system. So they had the 'native accent' as Jack liked to call it.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Mac eyed Nateri. Well, more like studied her. She had crystal clear cerulean eyes that stood out from anything he'd ever seen before. Her long strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail with a few loose curls framing her face. Her skin had an almost porcelain complexion to it. There were four small sets of silver hoops through her ears. As she turned, the light caught the tiny stud that she had in her nose. And when she spoke, he noted that she had her tongue pierced. Like the rest of the Valenti family, she had tattoos. There was the same black crown with purple butterflies that Liz and Ava had on the backs of their necks. The inside of her left wrist had a small heart with C.J. inside of it. She wore a black pair of jeans and a baby doll tank top. Both clung to her figure like a second skin.

He couldn't deny that she was beautiful if he tried. But, his inner voice told him to not even consider possibilities. He guessed Nateri was between fifteen and twenty years younger than him. No woman since Claire, had garnered such a reaction out of him right off the bat. He knew he was in trouble now.

Nateri wasn't stupid, she felt a pair of eyes on her. Unlike the rest of her family however, she was good at reading people without making it obvious. Both Mac and Stella seemed nice enough but it was overshadowed by how guarded they kept themselves. She knew a little bit about the pair from what her cousins as well as Danny, Don, Sheldon and Lindsay had shared.

Stella, she observed, was absolutely enchanted with Mariella. She was willing to bet that she got looks wherever she went. Stella was very pretty: model looks as well as being tall and statuesque. Her aura though, seemed a different story. She was guarded. There were quite a few walls built up; no doubt the result of past trauma in her life. But there was also a cloud of fierce loyalty in her aura as well. She was most likely a woman, that while didn't make close friends easily, kept them for life. Nateri didn't know why, but something told her that this woman would come to be a good friend; if not to her specifically, than at least her family.

And speaking of the examining eyes, Nateri observed Mac. He was an attractive man. In his mid to late forties she guessed. She found his ice blue eyes captivating. And there was something about him that was very reminiscent of her brother-in-law. Danny had mentioned that Mac had been in the Marines until 1993. She supposed that there was a certain air that all military men had about themselves. His aura spoke to many things. He had a distinct sense of right and wrong, there were no gray areas to him.

Drawing on her ability to read people, she watched him very closely. It was a gift that very few among her people possessed. A highly coveted gift at that. Being a Reader, made her an important part of the Royal Family. She was only the fourth, besides her sister in the last eight generations of the Grimaldi line to have it. Both she and Aurora had been quite a help to Jack and Daniel during negotiations over the years.

From the way he sat, to the look on his face. Every little thing gave further insight to him. Mac Taylor wasn't easily surprised. Yet, she could see the wonder in his eyes. Biting back a smirk, she guessed that her family was not at all what he'd been expecting. Most people didn't quite know what to make of them. The Valenti brood confused most people.

Especially her and Aurora. After finding out that Brae, Ashley, Ava, Tess, and Michael existed, the girls rejoiced. As far as they knew, the Royal Family had all been killed off. Rora had long since settled down with Jack. The pair fell so hard and so fast for each other. Even after almost ten years of marriage and four kids, Jack and Aurora O'Neill were still ridiculously in love.

In a strange coincidence, when Nateri and Aurora came to live on Earth, they had chosen Valenti as their last name. They had picked it in honor of the young Lieutenant that had saved their lives on Ankara during the culling. Both Jim and Amy Valenti had welcomed the sisters into the fold rather quickly; treating them as family. Jim had even introduced them to friends of his as his nieces. No one had ever questioned it and it stuck.

But enough about her. She went back to her examination of Mac. He was a fairly private person who had experienced painful loss in his life. Don had mentioned his wife had been killed in the attacks on 9-11. It was a pain that while he had learned to live with over the years, had not truly left him. His soul spoke of loneliness and longing.

Eventually, she'd learn that her gift was right on the mark. She didn't know it now, but her and Mac would come to know each other very well.

The Gods worked in mysterious ways after all.

--

With the kids tucked safely in their beds, the group planted themselves in the living room again.

Stella stood by the fireplace, admiring all the family photos that littered the wall and the mantle. She had always wanted real family like that. Brothers, sisters, a loving home. With a sad smile, her eyes landed on one of Liz, Ava, Braeden and an older man all smiling in full dress uniform.

Ashley stood behind her, noticing which picture she was stuck on. "I think that's Ma's favorite picture of Lizzie, Aves and Brae. That was taken just after tha commendations they'd received for an undercover op. Pops was so proud. Said it was one a tha proudest moments a his life."

"Commendations?" Lindsay piped up from the couch.

Unlike Danny, Don, Stella, Lindsay and Sheldon, Mac knew the story behind that picture. It was in their personnel files and was one of the reasons he had taken on the Valentis. All three had very impressive credentials.

Ashley took a photo album off of the mantle and brought it to the table.

Lindsay sat forward and began to flip through the pages. There was a bunch of newspaper articles and more pictures of the trio with their family and other police officers.

"We spent a year undercover," Brae told the group. "We was part of a task force set up by tha Denver P.D., tha Colorado Springs P.D., tha Colorado State Police, tha Feds, an tha DEA. Alonso Marinetti ran a drug an firearms traffickin ring. He loved ta recruit crooked cops or tha wayward children of cops."

"An who betta than three of tha Colorado Springs Police Commissioner's kids?" Ava chimed in from beside her brother.

Stella's interest was really peaked. That was a little tid bit Mac had mostly likely _conveniently_ forgotten to mention. "Police Commissioner?" She shouldn't have been surprised really. There had to have been something extraordinary about the three that Sinclair had taken them so readily even in the midst of budget cuts.

The man in question bit back a smirk at the shock on his best friend's face. Mac had yet to clue Stella in on what was so special about the Valenti three. She had gotten only a taste this afternoon. Now she, along with the rest of the group, were about to get the explanation for what had put Liz, Ava and Brae on the radar of nearly every form of law enforcement office in the United States.

Ashley nodded. "Pops' been tha Police Commissioner for tha last eleven years. He rose up tha ranks in the CSPD mad quick. 'S tha family business. Before that, he was a Sheriff. Pops' Pop was a Sheriff an his Pop before that too. Our brotha Kyle's tha fourth generation a Valenti ta be Sheriff a Roswell, New Mexico."

Liz almost giggled at the look of shock on Stella's face. _Guess she hasn't read our personnel files. _"In our family, there's two choices. Join the force or join the Air Force."

"'S not true Precious. Ya Ma an Gia didn't go that way," Zan interjected.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Alright Z, I'll give ya that."

"What does your mother do?" Mac asked curiously. Not even he knew that one. Their files made no mentions of their family or anything of the sort. That's how he wasn't aware that Liz had an eleven year old son. Something that still shocked him a bit. He wouldn't, in a million years, have pegged Liz as a teenage mother. But obviously, it wasn't something that hindered her career in any shape or form.

The eyes of every Valenti in the room focused on Liz as cuing her to answer.

She let out a deep, frustrated sigh. _'Thanks Z. Remind me to thank you later.'_

Zan smirked knowing full well she'd get him when he least expected it. Liz hated it when she had to discuss the restaurant. _'Look forward ta it Precious.'_

Liz huffed out her answer. "Mom manages the restaurant."

Ava coughed out the word, "restaurants."

Liz made a face and clucked her pierced tongue at her sister. "Fine restaurants. Mama and Papa started quite a successful business and Mom kept it afloat after they died. What started out as one diner, turned into over thirty-five locations worldwide, including one here in the Big Apple."

It was quite clear that not even Danny, Don or Lindsay was privy to the information. Everyone who wasn't an Evans or a Valenti looked more than a little confused.

"Well?" Danny said with raised eyebrows in Liz's direction. Since being partnered with her, he'd gotten close with Liz and her siblings. There was just something about her that had attracted him like a moth to a flame. Never in his life, had any woman (including Lindsay) captivated him so much.

Again, Liz sighed. "Before I say anything, I want to remind all of you that the money really doesn't matter to me."

"That's gotta be obvious Lizzie. Ya's a Detective in tha NYPD when ya brotha runs a multi-billion dolla corporation. Just tell em an get it ova with," Brae quipped at his sister.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Again, I'll concede to your point."

"Oh fa tha love a tha Gods, Lizzie," Ashley huffed. "Out with it already." He snorted. Liz was trying to delay the inevitable. And he couldn't stand it. As far as he saw, she should be proud that she was an heir to the _Parker's_ fortune. It was a company that her mother and step-father had built from the ground up. And Amy Valenti had continued it in their memory. It was a legacy that Liz, Carissa and Jeff could always be proud of.

With a glare that if looks could kill, would've leveled Ashley where he stood, she bit out, "Parkers." And was met with six stunned pairs of eyes. Never had any of them pegged her for being an heiress.

"Ya's like restaurant royalty," Danny declared with a smirk.

Don and Lindsay stared at her in awe.

Sheldon's mouth was agape. "I don't get it Liz. You're a Valenti _and_ a Parker. Why be a Detective? Why not do something with either of the businesses? Hell, why even work at all?"

Liz blushed and looked away from the group. "Like I said, it's not about the money. The technology stuff is Ashley and Zan's bit. The restaurant thing is my Mom's. I love what I do. There's no rhyme or reason, but I just do. It's hard to explain."

"It's your niche," Mac told her with a smile. "You're good at what you do."

She blushed and smiled in return. "Thanks Mac."

Don eyed the photos from beside Lindsay and changed the subject. It was pretty clear that the topic was making Liz uncomfortable. "Correct me if I'm wrong but, ya two," he said as he glanced up at Ava and Liz, "don't look any olda than twenty tops in those pictures."

"Nineteen actually," Liz replied. "We were fresh out of the Academy. Brae already had eight years on the force. He was in narcotics at the time. So he played the crooked cop part, while we were the fresh faced rookies recruited by our older brother. They bought the act hook line and sinker. But those eleven months and ten days were the hardest of my life. That whole time, I barely spoke to my father, mother, brothers, sisters and even Jaime. But it had to look real. So we made it look like Ava and I gave up on the cop thing after Brae got caught being 'unethical.' That's where the tattoos and piercings came into play. Marinetti said it gave 'his people' street cred. The three of us quickly became favorites. Had access to his entire estate and his inner circle. Rose up the ranks fast. Had a few close calls though. Almost got caught talking to my father once so I turned it into an argument. We even went so far as to stage a custody battle between me and my parents over Jaime. I managed to spend one weekend a month with my son at my grandmother's estate in West Hampton and that was it." Tears pooled in Liz's eyes at the memory of her son questioning why he couldn't see her.

Stella was slightly puzzled. But she recalled hearing about it years ago. It was the largest drug bust in the entire histories of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico. The media had dubbed it the 'Bust of the Century.' "So why do it then?"

"One of the guns Marinetti dealt was used to murder two of Jaime's classmates. Chris Altimez and Mason Leone were only five and six years old. My son cried for days and kept asking if they'd caught the bad men that hurt Chris and Mason. When the DEA approached us, I couldn't say no. I had to find the bad men for my Jaime. I had to do what I could to make sure him and his friends were safe."

Ava nodded at her sister's sentiment. "My husband had a fit but I did it. I did it so that our little brotha an sista stayed safe. They were two an eleven at tha time. Guns an drugs were becomin a big problem an tha cops were havin a real hard time tryin ta do anythin bout it. Turns out, it went much deeper than any of us realized. When we finally made a move, ova two hundred people were arrested an property, cash, weapons, an drugs seized totaled upwards of twenty two million dollars."

"Best part," Brae said with a smirk, "was that we neva had ta testify."

"How's that?"

"Marinetti's daughter, Alessandra cracked as soon as they took her in. She knew all a her father's secrets. He had been groomin her ta take ova for him. She copped a plea. They took tha death penalty off tha table in exchange for what she knew."

"Weren't you afraid they'd get you?"

Ava shook her head. "Marinetti was stupid enough ta leave a paper trail of who did what an ta who. He an his right hand man had personally taken out six DEA agents. It took a long time but he let us inta his inner circle. Once there, they gave us all tha proof we needed. They landed themselves with a one way express ticket ta tha electric chair. Marinetti was tha last. He was put ta death last year. Whoeva wasn't offed afta sentencin was put in a Federal prison fa life. That was only bout fifty people who were pretty low on tha totem pole."

"That's impressive."

Liz smiled. "It was nuts after that. We got offers from everyone including the DEA, ATF, FBI, and DHS."

"And you didn't take them?" Stella asked with an arched eyebrow.

Ava shook her head emphatically. "Nah that's not why we do this."

"Then why?" Don asked curiously.

"Up until I was six, me, Brae, Mikey, Zan, Lonnie an Ash lived in an orphanage in Staten Island. Ash, Zan and Mikey was always gettin inta trouble. Somehow, it was always tha same cop that brought em home. Officer Gutierrez from tha 123. Unlike everyone else, Officer G didn't see us as lost causes. He an his wife started takin us out on tha weekends. We'd go all kinds a places: Coney Island, tha Statue a Liberty, Six Flags. Little by little, tha boys stopped gettin in trouble. They gave us one spot of brightness in tha crap hole we called life. Then one Saturday, Mrs. G came by herself. Turns out Mr. G was killed by some punk who was robbin a bodega. He had always told us that if we focused, we could have tha world. After that I swore I'd do em proud."

Brae nodded affirming his sister's sentiment. Even Ashley and Zan nodded their heads. The man had been the first one in their lives to see them as something other than punks. They owed it to him to make something of themselves.

"Okay," Danny said as he glanced at his partner. "So that explains Ava an Brae. What bout ya Liz?"

She took a deep breath before answering. Rehashing the past wasn't easy for her. Especially considering she was there. And none of her siblings knew exactly what happened that day. Hell, she still hadn't even told her Mom or Dad. "My mother and step-father were murdered on Highway 285 just outside of my hometown, Roswell, New Mexico when I was five. The town only had one CSI, Deputy Blackman. He promised me that day at the hospital that he wouldn't stop until my parents' killer was caught. He had some suspects but only circumstantial evidence. But he never gave up. I was seventeen when I received a call from him and by then living in Colorado. Blackman had kept his promise. He never forgot. The folder for my parents' case stayed on his desk for twelve years. After all that time, he managed to link their murders to two others just like them. It was part of a gang initiation. They ran Papa off the road and then shot him and Mama execution style. Blackman's the reason I do it. Giving the families closure."

Never would any of the New York group guessed that the Valenti family had so much to tell. It was clear that they didn't discuss it much. Their expressions said that they obviously trusted their new friends enough to share their stories. So, six people vowed never to betray that trust.

To Mac, it explained perfectly why the family was so closely knit. In most cases, tragedy tended to drive people apart. In the case of the Valentis however, it only seemed to make them closer. Time after time, they banded together to take care of each other. It was also kind of amazing how such a blended family could be so tight. Raising that many kids couldn't have been easy and yet Mr. And Mrs. Valenti had taken on the challenge willingly. _One day,_ he thought to himself, _I would really like to meet their parents._ The Valentis had done an amazing job with their children. They were all level headed, and quite talented. He felt honored in a way to be let into their world.

Stella had picked up on one important fact about the Valenti kids. Like herself, they came from some not so great circumstances. But unlike her, someone had taken them from that life and given them a new start. Not that she was angry about her childhood. It wasn't like the nuns beat the crap out of her or anything. But many times over her life, she found herself wishing for parents and even siblings. Yet, she doubted that she'd be as strong as she was now if circumstances had been different.

Sure, she had suspected that at the very least, Liz had been adopted or a half sibling. Ashley, Braeden and Ava all had fairly close skin tones, eye colors, and hair colors. Liz, unlike her brothers and sister, had darker hair and a darker complexion than that of her siblings. In fact, the only thing they shared at all was the fact that Liz had blue eyes like Ashley and Ava. "So you're all adopted?"

Brae turned the photo album to a page with a family picture. "Not all a us. Kyle's," he said as he pointed to his younger brother, " Pops' son from his first marriage. Ma had Ria round tha same time. They got married an adopted Tess. Then Lizzie, Carrie an Jeff's parents was killed so they adopted them. Somehow, Pops found out that Tess had anotha sista an three brothas here in New York."

It was at this point that Ashley took over the story. "I was sixteen, Brae was twelve, Mikey was ten an Aves was six when Pops found us. At first, I wanted nothin ta do with him an Ma. But they was persistent an made it very clear that they wanted us. They brought Tessie, Kyle, Ria, Rissa, Lizzie and Jeff up here. Seein them with tha kids showed me tha family we could have. So we left life out here for the sticks. I don't think Ma an Pops will ever know just how grateful I am that for that."

"An if it wasn't for Aunt A an Uncle J, my sista an I woulda neva had a chance in life." Zan chimed in with a wide smile.

"How so?"

"Aunt A saw me an Lonnie an figured out that Uncle J's best friend Phillip Evans had adopted our brotha an sista, Max an Izzy. Tha Evans' came up here an got us. I'm sure it was tha will of tha Gods. There's no way it was just coincidence that some of us ended up in Roswell an some of us ended up in Staten Island. The Evans' gave us tha best of everythin. We all grew up togetha. Ma, Pops, Aunt A an Uncle J gave us tha world. They showed us that we could make somethin of ourselves. We was one huge extended family. It was no surprise when Max married Ria an Izzy married Kyle. Our families have always been like Frick an Frack."

The residents of Roswell referred to the Valenti and Evans families as Frick and Frack for as long as anyone could remember. Where there was a Valenti, there was usually an Evans and vice versa.

The group spent the rest of the night trading stories and laughs well into the early hours of the next morning.

Tighter bonds were forged that night as Mac and Stella were welcomed into the fold.

The Gods above smiled brighter that night.


End file.
